License homes while social distancing

About this recommendation

Some child welfare systems have paused licensing for some or all new families in order to limit in-person contact, even though federal regulations do not require the licensing process to be conducted in person. Delays caused by stopping licensing can mean losing homes, especially relative placements, in a time when placement options are already severely limited.

Licensing new foster homes with minimal physical contact by conducting everything by email, phone, and video (except for fingerprinting and a single in-person safety walkthrough) can limit any delays and prevent the loss of placement options.

How to do this

• Conduct the initial safety walkthrough over video, during which case workers can identify safety concerns and make compliance plans. The final safety walkthrough can then be conducted in person, during a focused visit of no more than 20 minutes.
• For emergency relative placements, the in-person final safety walkthrough can be combined with the placement visit. Any follow-ups can be conducted over video.
• Conduct interviews over phone or video. If families lack technology equipment, connect them with free Lifeline phone service and free Internet services. You may also be able to use federal funding to secure equipment for families.
• Resolve minor pending items with photos.
• Prioritize in-home and community-based fingerprinting. Mobile Livescan units reduce in-person time by allowing you to combine fingerprinting with the final safety walkthrough. Community-based fingerprinting sites like UPS stores remain open as essential businesses and provide a stress-free, fast environment for applicants to complete this requirement.
• Eliminate or temporarily suspend other in-person requirements. If your process requires a medical evaluation, allow a medical professional to complete the paperwork based on patients records or via a telehealth visit.
• Invest in online solutions that allow families to complete and track paperwork, attend and track orientations and trainings, and upload key documents.
• If your child welfare system has a unique requirement, like tuberculosis tests, evaluate whether such a unique requirement is necessary and remove or suspend it if possible.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Outcome data

States with contracts for community-based fingerprinting sites report the same processing times as before the pandemic. For more information on fingerprinting, see How to ensure fingerprinting doesn’t stop your work?

States that require tuberculosis tests and/or medical physicals  report that these are the most difficult in-person requirements for families to complete during the pandemic.

From March to May 2020, the child welfare systems using the online tool Binti for foster parent licensing, which collectively serve approximately 17% of the nation’s foster youth, have:

• 2,715 online training orientations completed
• 3,560 online applications filled out, e-signed and submitted to agencies by families applying to be foster/adoptive families
• 1,154 families approved by agencies to be caregivers
• 1,798 families renewed their yearly approval
• 115,171 online case notes submitted by social workers

Who's doing this

1 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

Rhode Island continued to license homes during the pandemic, limiting in-person contact to a single 20-minute walkthrough during which a mobile fingerprinting unit for all adult household members.