Becoming a Foster Parent in Illinois: Agency, Training, and Home Study

To become a foster parent in Illinois, you apply through the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) or a licensed private child welfare agency, pass criminal and child-welfare background checks, complete 27 hours of pre-service training, pass a home study of your household, and receive a license from DCFS. The license is free, and the full process usually takes several months from your first call to approval.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 21 years old and financially stable enough to cover your own household expenses without depending on the monthly board payments you would receive for a foster child. Marital status does not matter. You can apply single, married, in a civil union, or cohabitating. Illinois evaluates household stability rather than a particular family structure.¹

Every adult in the home must pass a criminal background check through the Illinois State Police and the FBI, submit fingerprints, and clear the state’s child abuse and neglect database (SACWIS). Household members ages 13 through 17 must also clear SACWIS and the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.¹ DCFS will not license a home where drug or alcohol abuse has been identified. Applicants who have completed treatment and can show a safe environment may still be considered.²

Pick an Agency and File the Application

You file through the agency that will supervise your foster home. That can be DCFS directly, or a licensed private child welfare agency. Whichever you choose, that supervising agency hands you the application, walks you through the paperwork, and forwards the completed file to DCFS for the licensing decision.¹

Private agencies vary in the populations they focus on and the training schedules they offer, so it’s worth talking to more than one before choosing.

Documents You’ll Need

Your application package includes several items you’ll need to gather from other people, so start these early:

Written background-check authorizations and fingerprints from every adult in the household.
A medical report on DCFS-prescribed forms for each household member, confirming freedom from communicable disease and no physical or mental conditions that would prevent safe care of a child.²
At least three character references from people not related to you, plus at least one relative who can speak to your ability to care for children.²

If you work outside the home, your job cannot interfere with proper care of a foster child. You’ll need to give the supervising agency a written plan for supervising a child during your work hours, and the agency must approve that plan in writing before any placement.¹

Preparing the Home

Your home does not need to be large or new, but it does need to be safe, and it has to stay in compliance for the life of the license. During the home study a licensing representative will check for specific items required under Section 402.8 of the Illinois Administrative Code, including:¹

At least 40 square feet of bedroom space for the first child sleeping in a room, and 35 square feet for each additional child sharing it.
Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the home.
At least one operable fire extinguisher in a readily accessible location.
A first aid kit stocked with bandages, sterile gauze, adhesive tape, scissors, tweezers, a thermometer, non-permeable gloves, and mild soap.

Your biological and adopted children under 18 count toward the home’s total capacity, so factor them in when planning bedroom arrangements.

Pre-Service Training

Before licensure, you must complete 27 hours of pre-service training built around the needs of children in state custody.³ Illinois uses the PRIDE curriculum (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education), which covers trauma-informed care, working with birth families, how the child welfare system operates, and the behavioral challenges foster children often present.

Most supervising agencies run PRIDE on evenings and weekends, and some now offer virtual sessions. The training is designed to prepare you for the emotional reality of the role, including caring for a child who may return to their birth family.

The Home Study

The home study is the most intensive part of the process. A licensing representative from your supervising agency conducts at least one on-site visit to confirm the home meets safety standards, and a separate visit with all household members present to observe how the family interacts. If more than 30 days pass between the initial visit and the final licensing recommendation, the representative must visit again to confirm nothing has changed.¹

Expect in-depth interviews covering your background, parenting philosophy, motivation for fostering, how you handle stress and conflict, and your support network. The representative is assessing whether you can work cooperatively with caseworkers, birth families, and health care providers. Before a final recommendation, you’ll sign written assurances that you understand and will follow rules on corporal punishment (prohibited), smoking, alcohol and drug use, and reasonable parenting standards.¹

The representative writes a recommendation, a supervisor reviews and approves it, and the file goes to DCFS for the final licensing decision. There is no fee for the license itself.¹

What Happens After You’re Licensed

Getting your license doesn’t mean a child arrives the next day. DCFS and your supervising agency match children to homes based on the child’s needs, your household’s strengths and stated preferences, proximity to the child’s school and community, and whether siblings can be kept together. On your application you can indicate age ranges, the number of children you’d accept, and any special needs you feel prepared to handle.

Federal law also requires the state, within 30 days of removing a child from their parents, to make a good-faith effort to identify and notify adult relatives, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other family members the parents suggest. The notice must explain the relative’s options for participating in the child’s care and how to become a foster home.⁴ Relatives are considered first, so non-relative foster parents often wait longer for a first placement while family options are explored.

If the Child Is a Relative

If you’re looking to foster a specific child in your extended family, the licensing process is different. Under the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act, passed in 2025, Illinois created a separate certification track for relative caregivers that replaces full traditional licensing with a more focused assessment of your ability to care for the specific child being placed with you. Relatives still complete a background check, show they’re free from communicable disease, and provide references including at least one family member. Ask the caseworker specifically about kinship certification rather than assuming you have to follow the standard foster home licensing path described above.

Keeping the License

A foster family home license in Illinois is valid for four years.¹ To renew, you must complete 16 hours of approved in-service training during each licensing cycle. At least one foster parent in the household, or the sole foster parent, must also complete educational advocacy training, which can count toward those 16 hours.⁵

Certain household changes have to be reported, and the timing depends on the change:

Before it happens: if someone new is moving into your home, notify the agency before that person moves in.
Immediately: any situation affecting a child’s care, including serious illness, incarceration, or a death in the household, must be reported right away.
New application required: a change of address, a change in your name, or a change in marital status (marriage, divorce, separation, entering or dissolving a civil union) triggers a new application rather than a notification.

Failing to report can lead to investigation, suspension, or loss of your license.⁵ The supervising agency will also conduct periodic monitoring visits throughout the licensing period.

If you need a break from accepting placements but want to keep your license, you can request non-active status. The license stays valid, but the home cannot receive placements while inactive. Before returning to active status, the licensing representative must complete a new monitoring visit, update background checks for any new household members, and reassess the home’s capacity.¹

1
Illinois General Assembly. 89 Illinois Administrative Code 402 – Licensing Standards for Foster Family Homes
2
Illinois General Assembly. 225 ILCS 10 – Child Care Act of 1969
3
Department of Children and Family Services. Foster Care
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 671 – State Plan for Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
5
Department of Children and Family Services. Rules 402 – Licensing Standards for Foster Family Homes