Got Questions About Fostering? Explore Seven Homes' FAQs for NC Families

Foster care in North Carolina is a temporary living arrangement for children who have experienced abuse or neglect, or whose biological families are no longer able to care for them. There are various reasons why families may be unable to provide care for their children, including job loss, mental illness, poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse. When a child is at risk, the local Department of Social Services (DSS) can take custody of the child and place them in a foster home with the approval of a judge.

The Children’s Services Section within DSS plays a crucial role in foster care. These professionals work closely with families and children when they enter foster care, providing support, counseling, and guidance throughout the process1. Foster care aims to provide a safe and stable environment for children while their biological families address the challenges they face. Ultimately, the goal is to reunite families whenever possible or find permanent placements for children through adoption or other means.

• May be married or single
• Must be at least 21 years old
• It would help if you had sufficient income for the needs of your own current family
• May or may not have birth or other children
• Must live in the state of North Carolina
• Foster parents can reside in a home, an apartment/condo/townhome, or a mobile home
• The home must have a working telephone
• Must provide children with their bed and adequate drawer/closet space for personal belongings
• You are required to complete annual training to maintain your foster care license

• The children that are placed into the state foster care program may:
• Have been neglected, abused, or abandoned
• Range from infancy through 18 years of age
• Be part of a sibling group
• Have special physical, medical, and emotional needs
• Represent all cultural and economic groups

Each child must have their own bed, dresser, and closet space for their belongings and privacy. Children under the age of 5 of different genders may share a room depending on the needs of the children. Children, born, fostered, or adopted, of the same gender may share a room at any age if they are within five years of each other and there are no behavioral concerns.

There is no direct fee to foster one of NC's waiting children. However, there are fees related to becoming a licensed foster family, like paying for background checks, CPR, and fingerprints.

On average, it takes 4-6 months. This is a moderate and depends on your timely completion of paperwork and other aspects of the process.

The training helps you consider the following:

• Is fostering/adopting for me?
• Am I able to attach and bond to a child or children not born to me?
• Am I able to learn to parent a child who has been neglected and abused?
• What type of child can I successfully parent?
• Am I willing to co-parent with the child's biological parent/family member?
• MAPP allows participants to interact with other individuals while gaining insight into the needs of children who experience the child welfare system and how the child and their birth family are impacted.

Classes are offered throughout the year and are generally scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays. Please click here to find out when the next scheduled MAPP Class is. 

Anyone over 18 may attend, but you must be 21 to be a licensed foster parent. An information session is required before the MAPPS class.

Foster parents must be able to provide transportation to assist with doctor appointments, visitation, therapy, school, and other appointments.

Foster care is not seen as income, so you must be able to pay your bills and sustain your household and family, separate from your foster care stipend.

State law requires NC criminal record checks going back five years. If you have lived in NC for less than five years, you must obtain out-of-state background checks.

Your doctor must provide documentation that you can provide for children and do not have a limited capacity to parent.

North Carolina requires foster parents to renew their licenses every two years.

Your desire to adopt is another factor in deciding on an agency and license type. Suppose you are hoping to foster with the possibility of adopting. In that case, you must select a Private Agency licensed as a child-placing agency for foster care and adoption. If you are looking at your Public Agency, have a conversation with the licensing worker to see how they view adoption. Most countries will support their families' adoption and work closely with you. Other countries would like to, but workforce and other factors limit their ability.

Please note: Deciding which agency you want to work with might be the most important decision a new family makes to become a foster family. The relationship you have with your licensing agency is so meaningful. Look for an agency that you are comfortable with, and that shows as much interest in you and your children as you do in them.

Our policy at Seven Homes is not to license any new foster families as therapeutic. 

We believe that foster parents need experience working with traditional foster children and their needs before stepping up to a therapeutic level to provide care for children with the most challenging needs. That being said, if you are a new family and want to pursue restorative care, there is nothing wrong with that; it is just our philosophy not to.

A child's placement may be as short as an overnight stay or longer than a year.