To become a foster parent in Kentucky, you apply through the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, meet the eligibility and home safety rules in 922 KAR 1:350, pass state and FBI background checks, complete pre-service training, and go through a home study with a social service worker. Plan on four to six months from first inquiry to an approved certificate. The Commonwealth has one of the highest rates of children in out-of-home care in the country, at roughly 39 per 1,000, and qualified homes are in steady demand.
Who Qualifies
Kentucky’s baseline requirements are short. You must be at least 21 years old. You can be single or married. You can rent or own; the Cabinet looks at whether the home is stable and safe, not whether you hold the deed. You do need to be a legal Kentucky resident so the state retains jurisdiction over any placement.
Your finances have to work without foster care payments in the picture. You need a functioning source of income that covers your own household expenses before a child is placed. The per diem the state pays is meant to offset the cost of caring for the child, not to supplement your income.
Every adult in the household completes a DPP-107 health information form signed by a medical professional who is not a relative. The form confirms no one in the home has an illness or condition that would put a child at risk, and it documents any history of mental health treatment or substance use. If something on the form raises a concern, the Cabinet can require a further evaluation before the application moves forward.
What the Home Has to Look Like
The house does not need to be new or large, but it does need to meet specific safety standards under 922 KAR 1:350, and the home study checks each one.
Sleeping arrangements get the closest look. No more than four children share a bedroom, including your own. Children of different genders over age five cannot share a room unless the Cabinet grants an exception, typically to keep siblings together where there are no high-risk behaviors. Each child gets an age- and size-appropriate bed of their own. Infants under one need a crib that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. Foster parents cannot share a bedroom with a foster child except in rare, Cabinet-approved circumstances tied to the child’s needs.
Working smoke alarms are required within ten feet of each bedroom and on every floor. The home has to be heated and ventilated, must meet local health codes for water and sanitation, and must have a functioning kitchen and a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and bathtub or shower. Children need access to indoor and outdoor recreation space suitable for their age.
Firearms and ammunition must be completely inaccessible to children, stored under the standards referenced in KRS 527.100 and 527.110. In practice, that means locked storage with ammunition kept separately. Pools and nearby bodies of water require documented safety precautions. Household pets need current vaccination records.
The Certification Steps
The path from interest to certification runs through documentation, references, background checks, training, and a home study, in roughly that order.
Paperwork and References
The application packet includes medical forms for every household member, financial documentation showing you can cover your existing expenses, and a detailed floor plan of the home identifying exits and the room designated for a foster child. You’ll also submit proof of working smoke detectors and pet vaccination records.
You provide three personal references: one relative and two non-relatives. Cabinet staff interview them in person or by phone, or accept written letters. You also submit two credit references or a credit report.
Background Checks
Under KRS 199.462, the applicant and every adult in the household undergo a criminal background investigation, including fingerprint-based checks through the Kentucky State Police and the FBI. The Cabinet also runs the child abuse and neglect registry. These checks repeat at annual recertification, either through a fresh investigation or enrollment in a continuous monitoring system known as “rap back.”
Pre-Service Training
Before certification, you complete a structured pre-service training program. The sessions cover the needs of children in state custody, trauma-informed parenting, and the legal framework of foster care.
The Home Study
After training, a social service worker conducts the home study. That includes a physical inspection of the residence and in-depth interviews with everyone in the household. The worker will ask about your family history, how you parent, and the ages and types of children you feel ready to care for. If you have adult children who no longer live at home, the Cabinet will contact them about your parenting history too.
Final Approval
The completed file, with training certificates, the home study, and supporting documentation, goes to the regional CHFS office for final review. Once approved, you receive a foster parent certificate that specifies the age ranges and levels of care you are authorized to provide.
Which Type of Foster Home You Can Be
Kentucky certifies foster homes at different levels, and your certificate names the one you qualify for. The level shapes your training hours and your per diem.
- Regular foster care is the most common category, for children who need a stable home but don’t have intensive behavioral or medical needs. There is a basic tier and an advanced tier, with the advanced tier requiring additional training.
- Care Plus is for children with significant emotional or behavioral needs. It requires specialized training each year on top of the basic hours.
- Medically complex is for children with serious medical conditions who need skilled daily care. Foster parents in this category often have nursing credentials or medical-specific training.
- Relative and fictive kin caregivers, when a child has a family member or a person with a pre-existing meaningful relationship willing to take them in, go through a modified approval process and generally have fewer ongoing training requirements.
What the State Pays You
Kentucky reimburses foster parents with a daily per diem covering food, shelter, clothing, and basic needs. Rates vary by the child’s age and the level of care. Under the DCBS reimbursement schedule effective January 2024:
- Regular foster care, birth through 11: $24.10 basic, $26.40 advanced.
- Regular foster care, age 12 and older: $26.20 basic, $28.50 advanced.
- Care Plus: $42.40 basic, $47.70 advanced.
- Medically complex: $42.40 to $50.90, depending on training and credentials.
A monthly clothing allowance is built into the per diem, from $25 for infants up to $40 for children 12 and older. At placement, the child also receives an initial clothing allowance: $100 for infants under one, $120 at ages one to two, $130 at ages three to four, $180 at ages five to eleven, and $290 at 12 and older. School-age children who have been in care at least 30 days and used their initial allowance can receive an annual supplemental school clothing allowance of $50 to $100.
The per diem is a reimbursement, not taxable income. If you receive payments above the state’s standard rate, the excess could be treated as taxable, so keep records. You may be able to claim a foster child as a qualifying child for the federal Child Tax Credit if the child lived with you more than half the tax year; for the 2026 tax year, the credit is $2,200 per qualifying child under 17, with up to $1,700 refundable.
The child’s medical care is covered through the Supporting Kentucky Youth (SKY) Medicaid program, managed by Aetna Better Health of Kentucky, so appointments, therapy, prescriptions, and dental visits do not come out of your pocket.
Staying Certified
Approval isn’t a one-time event. Annual training is required, and the hours depend on your level:
- Basic foster homes: 10 hours a year.
- Care Plus: 22 hours a year (10 basic plus 12 focused on behavioral and therapeutic care).
- Medically complex: 12 hours of medical-specific training plus 10 hours of general Cabinet-approved training.
- Relative and fictive kin homes are generally exempt from annual training unless they hold a Care Plus or medically complex designation, in which case a reduced schedule applies.
CPR, first aid, and universal precautions certifications are separate and don’t count toward these hours. The Cabinet also runs an annual home reevaluation and may repeat background checks on the adults in the household.
Respite care is available and worth knowing about from the start. Another certified foster parent can care for your foster child temporarily so you can rest or handle a family emergency. You typically choose the provider. If they aren’t already certified, they must pass a background check and complete a two-hour Cabinet-approved training first. Extended respite of up to 14 calendar days needs written approval from a Service Region Administrator for a genuine family need. The cost is covered within the child’s existing per diem.
Your Rights and Authority Once a Child Is Placed
Kentucky has a foster parent bill of rights at KRS 620.360, which treats foster parents as members of the professional team caring for the child. Read it. You have the right to information about a child’s behavior, family background, and health history before placement, to the extent it affects your household’s safety or how you provide care. In emergency placements, the Cabinet has to share this information as soon as it’s available. You can refuse a placement, or ask that a child be removed from your home with reasonable notice, without retaliation. You also have 24/7 access to Cabinet support, a right to help develop the child’s case plan, a right to communicate with the child’s teachers, therapists, and doctors with the proper releases, and a right to respite. If the case plan changes, the Cabinet has to send you an explanatory notice.
On day-to-day authority, you’ll receive a 106A authorization that lets you consent to routine medical and dental care. Anything beyond routine needs sign-off from the child’s social service worker or a Family Services Office Supervisor. The exception is a genuine emergency where no one from the Cabinet can be reached; you can authorize non-routine treatment then. If the child is prescribed a psychotropic medication, you have to notify DCBS within one working day.
Travel rules are stricter than most new foster parents expect. Trips of 72 hours or less generally don’t require advance approval, though you’re expected to notify the child’s worker before any out-of-state travel. For trips longer than 72 hours, you need worker authorization, and starting that conversation at least 30 days out gives time for any required court approvals. Travel can be denied or delayed if the child has a pending court date or medical appointment.
What to Do Next
Contact the Department for Community Based Services in your region to start an inquiry, request the application packet, and get placed into the next pre-service training cycle. From that first call, expect four to six months before a child could be placed in your home.