West Virginia Bureau for Children and Families
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BCF Support Article

What is the actual process of becoming a foster parent or adoptive family?

Category:

Foster Care

Updated:

3/10/2003

• Contact your local county Department of Health and Human Resources office and let them know you are interested in, and want more information about, foster parenting or becoming an adoptive family.


• Potential parents attend a pre-service orientation. This training discusses the responsibilities and details of becoming a foster or adoptive parent.


• A family assessment (home study) of the interested parents is done. A social worker will interview everyone in the household.
References are contacted and medical reports are reviewed. A criminal investigation background check is performed on all adults in the home. A social worker also discusses what type of child the parents could best provide care for. All information gathered during the assessment on foster or adoptive families is kept confidential.

• After the family assessment and training are completed, the family is notified about the approval of their home for foster or adoptive children. Approved foster families are added to the list of homes used by social workers to place children needing care. Once a home has been approved, it is re-evaluated every year.

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