The Complete Guide to Foster Parenting in Virginia

If you want to become a foster parent in Virginia, the process is designed to prepare you and your household before a child is placed in your care. You will generally learn about foster care, connect with a local department of social services or licensed child-placing agency, submit an application, complete required screening and training, participate in a mutual family assessment, and receive approval.

Virginia currently has about 4,900 children and teens in foster care, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services. Virginia also reports about 900 young adults participating in Fostering Futures, the state's extended foster-care program for ages 18–21.

This guide explains the Virginia-specific process from your first inquiry through approval and placement, including eligibility, training, the home study, expected timing, and what happens after you apply.

How Do I Become a Foster Parent in Virginia?

To become a foster parent in Virginia, you must complete an approval process through a local department of social services or an applicable licensed child-placing agency. The process includes an application, background and health screening, references, preservice training, interviews, and a mutual family assessment of your household and home.

Once approved, your home can be considered for placements that match your approval parameters and a child's needs.

The Whole Foster Adoption Process

 

Virginia's official Foster Virginia program directs prospective parents to the Faster Families Highway, where they can begin a six-step readiness process and connect with their local department of social services.

I'm Thinking About Fostering in Virginia—Where Do I Start?

Start with information, not paperwork. Virginia's official starting point is the Faster Families Highway, which helps prospective families understand the process and connect with their local department of social services.

You can also contact a licensed child-placing agency. When choosing one, ask:

• What ages and types of children do you commonly place?
• What training do you provide?
• Who will be my primary contact?
• What support is available after hours?
• What respite resources are available?
• How do you prepare families for reunification?
• What happens if a placement becomes difficult?

The agency you choose can influence the support you receive throughout the process, so it is worth asking these questions before submitting your application.

What Are the Requirements to Foster a Child in Virginia?

The Virginia foster care requirements for homes approved by local departments are set forth in Chapter 211 of the Virginia Administrative Code.

Virginia's current regulation establishes 18 as the minimum age for a local-department-approved foster or adoptive provider. Providers must also agree not to use corporal punishment and must maintain confidentiality concerning children in their care.

Applicants should be prepared to complete requirements involving:

• Criminal and other required background checks
• Child abuse and neglect registry checks
• Tuberculosis screening or assessment
• Physical examination documentation
• References
• Financial and household information
• Preservice training
• Mutual family assessment interviews
• Home safety and suitability standards

For the complete current regulatory requirements, see Chapter 211 of the Virginia Administrative Code.

Do You Have to Own a Home?

No. Home ownership is not required. What matters is whether the residence meets applicable standards for safety, space, furnishings, sleeping arrangements, sanitation, and the child's needs. Virginia's official Foster Virginia program also states that you do not need to be married, own a home, or already have children to foster.

Can a Single Person Foster?

Yes. Virginia's regulations allow an individual or a couple to apply as a foster or adoptive home provider. The assessment focuses on whether the applicant and household can provide safe, appropriate, and stable care.

What Is the Foster Parent Application Process in Virginia?

The foster parent application process begins when you submit the required application to the appropriate department or agency.

Virginia requires applicants to complete and submit an application using department-approved forms or other forms that address the department's requirements. Once a completed application is submitted, the local department is responsible for initiating the approval process.

The application and subsequent assessment can involve information about:

• Family composition and history
• Employment
• Financial resources and obligations
• Household relationships
• Motivation to foster or adopt
• References
• Experience with children
• Ability to care for children
• Ability to manage emergencies

Virginia requires at least three references per applicant, with at least one from a nonrelative.

Learn more about the foster care application process.

What Does Foster Care Training and Approval Include?

Foster care training and approval are related but separate parts of the process. Virginia requires preservice training for foster and adoptive providers. Current training standards address subjects including:

• Child development and attachment
• Abuse and neglect
• Permanency and reunification
• Family visits and sibling relationships
• Adoption
• Loss and separation
• Nonphysical discipline
• Foster-parent rights and responsibilities
• Cultural and family connections
• Safety and well-being
• Mandated reporting
• Normalcy for youth in foster care

Training does not end with approval. Virginia requires approved foster and adoptive providers to complete annual in-service training as a condition of reapproval.

FosterVA's current training information states that the process generally takes 90 to 120 days for most families to complete training and lists five required training sessions, plus CPR and First Aid documentation. Training covers how foster care works in Virginia, grief and trauma, child development and behavior, safety, licensing, and confidentiality.

Explore FosterVA's foster parent training information.

What Happens During the Foster Parent Home Study?

Virginia uses the term mutual family assessment (MFA) for the process commonly called a home study.

The MFA evaluates the prospective provider, household relationships, family history, finances, motivation, references, ability to care for children, emergency planning, and the home's suitability.

How Many Interviews Are Required?

Virginia's current regulation requires at least three face-to-face interviews on three separate days. At least one must occur in the applicant's home. If there are two applicants, at least one interview must include both applicants, and at least one must include everyone living in the home.

The MFA considers:

• Family history and composition
• Household relationships
• Employment
• Financial resources
• Debts and obligations
• Motivation to foster or adopt
• Ability to care for children
• Emergency planning
• Household stability
• References
• Compliance with Virginia's home standards

Virginia also requires at least three references for each applicant.

Learn more about the foster parent home study process in Virginia.

What Does the Home Need to Have?

The home must provide an appropriate and safe living environment. Virginia's standards address areas including:

• Appropriate sleeping arrangements
• Suitable furnishings
• Storage for personal belongings
• Bathroom access
• Recreational space
• Heating and ventilation
• Adequate lighting
• Telephone access
• Smoke detectors
• First-aid supplies

The home assessment is therefore about safety and suitability, not whether the house looks perfect.

What Background and Health Checks Are Required?

Background screening is a central part of the approval process. Virginia requires applicable criminal history and child abuse and neglect checks. Certain convictions can legally prevent approval.

Applicants and household members who come into contact with children must also meet tuberculosis-screening requirements. Applicants and other caretakers residing in the home must provide the required physical examination documentation.

If you will transport children, Virginia also requires applicable driving-record checks. Applicants who transport children must have a valid driver's license and automobile liability insurance, while vehicles used to transport children must have valid registration and inspection.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Foster Parent in Virginia?

There is no single statewide deadline that applies to every applicant. The foster parent timeline depends on how quickly paperwork is completed, background checks are processed, training is available, medical documentation is provided, references are obtained, interviews are conducted, home visits are completed, and whether additional information is needed.

FosterVA currently says most families complete the approval process in about four months, including training, the home study, and background checks. Its current training information gives a similar 90–120-day timeframe for most families. These are practical agency estimates, not a statewide legal guarantee.

A Practical Sequence

Initial inquiry → readiness/orientation → application → screening → training → MFA/home visits → final assessment → approval → placement consideration

Some activities can overlap, while others depend on the completion of earlier requirements. The approval period itself is 36 months under Virginia's current regulation. The approval certificate specifies the type of approval and the gender, age, and number of children recommended for placement.

What Happens After Applying to Foster?

If you are wondering what happens after applying to foster, the application is only the beginning of the formal approval process.

After a completed application is submitted, the local department initiates the approval process. You then move through the required screening, references, health documentation, training, interviews, home visits, and mutual family assessment.

The process generally looks like this:

1. Application submitted
2. Background and health screening
3. References collected
4. Preservice training completed
5. Household interviews
6. Home visits
7. Mutual family assessment completed
8. Approval decision
9. Placement consideration

If the local department determines during the process that the home may not be approved, the application can be denied, and the process ends. So applying does not mean you are immediately licensed or that a child will be placed with you immediately.

What Happens After Approval?

Approval does not guarantee an immediate placement. Your approval establishes the type of approval and placement parameters for your home. A specific placement still needs to be appropriate for your household and the child's needs.

Virginia's foster-care program emphasizes reunification when it is safe and appropriate. Foster parents help provide temporary safety and stability while children remain connected to their families.

Once a child is placed, your relationship with the agency continues. Virginia requires local departments to monitor and support approved providers, including at least quarterly home visits.

What Is Virginia Child Fostering Really Like?

Child fostering in Virginia involves much more than providing a bedroom. Depending on the placement, foster parents may help with:

• School routines
• Transportation
• Medical appointments
• Family visits
• Emotional support
• Sibling relationships
• Everyday routines and activities
• Communication with the child's care team

What Is Virginia Child Fostering Really Like?

Foster parents work with social workers, the child's family, schools, therapists, attorneys, and other professionals. Depending on the child’s needs, this can include school routines, medical appointments, family visits, transportation, and everyday care.

Foster care can also be emotionally difficult. A child may return to their parents, move to relatives, or move to another permanent placement. In some cases, the child may become eligible for adoption.

Being honest with your agency about what your household can handle is important. You can discuss the ages, needs, and types of placements that would work best for your family.

What Kinds of Foster Placements Can One Expect?

Your options depend on what you have been approved for and the requirements of the children in care. The following are among the types of placements you may experience:

• Short-term care, which can be a matter of days or weeks
• Longer-term arrangements of several months or more
• Respite care to allow another foster family a scheduled respite
• Sibling placements where it is suitable to keep brothers and sisters together
• Cases with additional needs: some children will require more support and thus specialized programs or preparation on your part

There is no obligation to take on every placement put before you. It is best to be open with your agency about your limits and preferences so that any decision made is one your household can handle safely.

Is Adoption an Option for Foster Parents in Virginia?

While foster care does not automatically put one on the path to adoption, it can lead there. In Virginia, the first priority is to reunify the child with his or her family if it is safe to do so. Should that not be possible and adoption be deemed the right permanency plan, a foster parent might be in the running for adoption, subject to the law and the circumstances. If this is what you are after, make sure to put it on the table with your agency from the start.

For further information on adoption from foster care in the Commonwealth, see here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to own a home in order to foster?

Not at all. A rented house or apartment is fine as long as it meets the state's standards for living environment, space, and safety.

Can a single person apply?

Virginia allows an individual to come forward as a foster or adoptive provider.

How old must one be?

Under present regulations, 18 is the minimum age to be an approved provider with the local department.

Will my approval be permanent?

The approval from the state is valid for 36 months, provided you stay current with requirements such as annual in-service training.

Does being approved mean I am guaranteed a child?

No. Approval indicates that your home meets the necessary parameters. Whether a particular placement is right for the child and your family is still to be determined.

Is there financial assistance?

Yes, Virginia offers support to offset the costs of caring for a foster child, though the amount will vary depending on the child’s needs and the placement. It should be noted, however, that foster care is not meant to be a way to earn an income.

The Bottom Line

Becoming a foster parent in Virginia requires going through a structured process: application, screening and training, a mutual family assessment and home review, and finally, approval. But you are not done once the paperwork is signed. You will work with your agency on placements and remain under its oversight.

A good place to start is with a licensed agency or your local department to get a sense of what your home can offer and to see how you are doing in terms of readiness.