Wyoming Foster Care Background Check: DCI Fingerprinting and What to Expect

The background check process is the most common source of unexpected delays in Wyoming foster care licensing — not because applicants have disqualifying histories, but because they submit fingerprint cards incorrectly and lose weeks waiting for a rejection notice and a new submission window. Understanding exactly how the system works before you start saves you that time.

The Five-Layer Screening Process

Wyoming DFS requires all adult household members to clear five separate background checks before a foster home license can be issued:

1. Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) check. A state-level criminal history search run through the DCI's Criminal Records Unit in Cheyenne.

2. FBI fingerprint-based check. A national search using your fingerprints, submitted through the DCI. This check reaches across all 50 states and federal databases.

3. DFS Central Registry search. A search of Wyoming's internal database for substantiated findings of child abuse or neglect. This is separate from the criminal history check — it covers DFS-level findings that may not have resulted in a criminal conviction.

4. National Sex Offender Registry. A check of the federal NSOPW database.

5. Out-of-state checks. If any adult household member has lived in another state within the past five years, DFS must obtain an abuse and neglect registry check from that state. Each state has its own process and timeline for responding, which can add weeks to your overall timeline.

The DCI Fingerprinting Process in Detail

This is the step that creates the most administrative friction for Wyoming applicants, particularly those living in rural areas.

Unlike states with widespread digital "LiveScan" fingerprinting locations, Wyoming relies largely on ink-rolled fingerprint cards. The process requires:

1. Completion of the CCL-108 Fingerprint Cover Letter, obtained from your DFS district office or downloaded from the DCI website
2. Two completed fingerprint cards (standard blue FBI cards)
3. Payment via cashier's check or money order made out to the State of Wyoming — personal checks are not accepted and will result in rejection
4. Physical mailing to the DFS Background Check Unit in Cheyenne

Getting your fingerprints taken requires visiting a local law enforcement agency (sheriff's office or police department). In rural Wyoming, these offices may have limited hours for fingerprinting services — call ahead to confirm availability and whether you need an appointment.

Processing time for DCI results runs 31 to 60 days. If a card is rejected due to poor print quality, the dispute and resubmission window is only 10 days. A single smudged or illegible print can reset your timeline by two months.

Getting the Fingerprints Right

Ask the officer taking your prints to roll each finger slowly and deliberately — rushed inkings are the most common source of rejection. Both hands must be completed on the same card submission. Do not fold or bend the cards after completion. Submit them in a flat envelope, not folded into a standard letter envelope.

If you live in a rural area without easy access to law enforcement fingerprinting, some DFS district offices can assist or can direct you to the nearest available location.

What Disqualifies an Applicant

Wyoming statutes and DFS policy establish certain absolute bars — offenses that cannot be waived regardless of rehabilitation or time elapsed:

• Any felony conviction for child abuse or neglect
• Spousal abuse convictions
• Crimes against children, including child pornography
• Violent felonies: rape, sexual assault, homicide

Other offenses fall into a discretionary zone. DFS State Office may grant a waiver for older, non-violent offenses if the applicant can demonstrate rehabilitation, stable lifestyle, and no ongoing risk to children. A decade-old non-violent drug conviction, for example, may not be an automatic bar. A misdemeanor assault charge from years ago may be reviewable.

Methamphetamine manufacture or distribution is viewed with extreme scrutiny given Wyoming's history with that substance — even with significant time elapsed, expect the review to be thorough.

Any history of methamphetamine use (as opposed to manufacture) falls into the rehabilitation-review category and is assessed case by case.

Placements Involving Children from the Wind River Reservation

For placements involving children with tribal affiliation from the Wind River Reservation, tribal court background checks may also be required. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes operate their own child welfare departments and may have additional review standards based on tribal sovereignty. If you are applying in Fremont County or near the reservation, your DFS caseworker will advise you on whether tribal checks apply.

The Central Registry Check

The DFS Central Registry tracks substantiated findings of child abuse and neglect at the state administrative level. A finding on the Central Registry — even without a criminal conviction — can affect your eligibility. If you have ever been the subject of a DFS investigation, disclose it proactively in your application rather than having it surface in the screening. DFS evaluates context, and transparency about past involvement with the system is handled differently than concealment.

Timing Your Background Check Submission

Start the background check process at the same time you contact DFS about the next PRIDE training cohort — do not wait until you have completed training to submit your fingerprint cards. The two processes can and should run in parallel. Given that the DCI check alone takes up to 60 days and out-of-state checks can add more time, submitting early is the single biggest thing you can do to compress your overall licensing timeline.

The Wyoming Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a step-by-step walkthrough of the DCI submission process, a document checklist for all five screening layers, and guidance on how to respond if a check comes back with a finding that needs explanation.

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