South Dakota Foster Care License Renewal and Annual Training Requirements

Licensing in South Dakota is not a one-time event. A foster home license is valid for two years, and staying licensed requires completing specific requirements annually — the most critical of which is 12 hours of in-service training per license year. Miss that window and the license can be suspended, with children in your care potentially removed.

This post covers what the renewal process requires, what counts toward the training hours, and how to manage ongoing compliance without losing your license.

The Two-Year License Cycle

South Dakota foster home licenses are issued on a two-year basis under ARSD 67:42:05. Each two-year cycle involves:

• A formal renewal evaluation by your DSS licensing specialist or private agency worker
• Verification that all annual training requirements have been met for both years of the cycle
• Updated physical examinations for adult household members
• A home evaluation (which may involve a visit but doesn't require the full home study process of initial licensing)

The renewal is not automatic. DSS must actively issue a new license. Families who let their renewal lapse — by missing the training requirement or not scheduling the renewal evaluation — can find their license in suspension, which means they cannot receive placements and any current placements must be reviewed.

The 12-Hour Annual Training Requirement

Every active foster parent in South Dakota must complete 12 hours of approved in-service training per year to maintain their license. This is a mandatory requirement under ARSD 67:42:05, not a recommendation.

What counts as approved training:

• Pediatric CPR and First Aid (a common and practical choice that also delivers a certified credential)
• Behavioral management techniques — Common-Sense Parenting is specifically referenced in state materials
• Trauma-informed parenting and child development
• Medical indicators of abuse and neglect
• Cultural competency and ICWA-specific training
• De-escalation and crisis intervention techniques
• Any training offered or approved by DSS, your private agency (if you license through LSS or another CPA), or the South Dakota Council on Crime and Delinquency

What typically doesn't count:

• General parenting books or online content not from an approved provider
• Church-based programs not certified by DSS
• Training completed in a previous license year (hours don't carry over)

Where to find approved training:

• Your regional DSS office publishes a training calendar — or should. If one isn't available online, call the office and ask what sessions are scheduled for the year.
• SDCPCM (South Dakota Council on Crime and Delinquency) hosts training through their online learning platform at learn.sdcpcm.com
• FosterParentCollege.com is an approved platform that DSS has integrated since the pandemic — online modules can count toward your hours. Confirm with your licensing specialist which specific modules are approved in your county.
• LSS South Dakota and other private agencies provide training specifically for their licensed families, often at no additional cost
• Annual conference training (SDCPCM hosts a conference each fall) often counts for multiple hours in a single day

Planning Your Training Hours

Twelve hours over a year sounds manageable, but many foster families find themselves scrambling in the final weeks of their license year because they didn't track their hours systematically.

A practical approach:

Target 4 hours per quarter. Break the year into four quarters and make sure you complete at least one training session in each. This prevents the year-end scramble and gives you buffer time if a session is canceled.

Keep certificates. Every approved training should provide a certificate of completion. Keep digital and physical copies. Your licensing specialist will ask for documentation at renewal, and verbal confirmation that you "attended something" isn't sufficient.

Ask your agency about bundled training. If you're licensed through LSS or another private agency, they often provide trainings specifically to help their families meet the annual requirement. Check what's on their calendar before paying for external courses.

Use the SDCPCM platform proactively. The learn.sdcpcm.com platform offers on-demand training that licensed foster parents can access at any time. Completing modules when you have time — rather than waiting until a live session is scheduled near you — gives you more flexibility, especially for rural families.

Updated Physical Examinations

At each two-year renewal, all adult household members (18+) need to have current physical examinations on file. "Current" typically means within the past 12 months of the renewal date.

If your initial licensing physicals were completed 18 months ago and your renewal is coming up, check whether they're still within the acceptable window. Schedule updated physicals a few months before your renewal rather than waiting until the licensing specialist asks for them.

What the Renewal Evaluation Covers

The renewal evaluation is lighter than the initial home study but is a real review. Your licensing specialist will:

• Verify that the required training hours are documented
• Review any incidents or concerns that occurred during the license period (documented behavioral incidents, placement disruptions, any CPS referrals)
• Conduct a walkthrough of the home to confirm safety standards are still met (smoke detectors, firearm storage, medication storage)
• Update household composition and confirm any changes to adults living in the home have been reported
• Review any changes in financial circumstances or health status

If there have been no issues during the license period, the renewal is typically a straightforward administrative process. The more complicated renewals involve families who had placements end abruptly, documented discipline concerns, or household changes (a new adult moved in who hasn't been background-checked) that weren't reported during the license period.

Reporting Obligations During the License Period

Between renewals, licensed foster parents are required to report certain changes to DSS promptly:

• Any adult who moves into the household must undergo the same background check process as the original household members
• Any arrest or charge of a household member must be reported
• Significant changes in health status affecting the ability to care for a child
• Changes in address or housing situation

Families who discover at renewal that they should have reported something months earlier — a new adult in the home, an arrest — face a more complicated renewal process than those who stayed current on reporting obligations.

What Happens If You Let Your License Lapse

If your 12 training hours aren't documented by the end of your license year, DSS can suspend your license. A suspended license means:

• You cannot receive new placements
• Children currently in your care may be reviewed for transfer to another home
• You may need to complete additional steps to reinstate the license beyond simply making up the missed training hours

License suspension due to training non-compliance is entirely preventable. Tracking your hours quarterly and completing them well before the year-end is the only reliable protection.

For Families Considering Whether Renewal Is Worth It

Foster care is demanding and the licensing requirements don't lighten over time. Some families reach their two-year renewal and genuinely evaluate whether to continue.

If you're on the fence, it's worth distinguishing between training fatigue (addressable through better planning) and genuine depletion from the emotional weight of the work. LSS and other agencies provide respite care specifically so foster families can take breaks without losing their license. South Dakota's respite care system allows a licensed family to provide short-term care for another foster parent's placement, and vice versa.

The support structure at renewal is also a good time to discuss with your licensing specialist what kinds of placements you want going forward — more or fewer children, different age ranges, whether you're open to adoptive placements. The renewal is a reset point.

The South Dakota Foster Care Licensing Guide includes the complete training requirement framework alongside the initial licensing process. For families approaching their first renewal, it's a useful reference for what the two-year cycle actually requires and how to document compliance systematically.

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