One child at a time

Facts about Foster Care

Who are the children in
foster care?

Is there any contact with

the child's parents?

How long do children

stay in foster care?

The Massachusetts Department of Social

Services has children of all ages in foster
care, from infants to older adolescents and
from all ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Yes. Children need to remain in touch

with their families, since the goal in most
cases is for the child to return home.

The average stay is somewhere between

three to eighteen months.

Foster parents are especially

needed for:

Older children and teenagers

Children with special needs.These special needs may be developmental, educational and/or emotional.

Medically involved children

Drug-affected infants

Sibling groups

Linguistic and ethnic minorities

Foster parents are needed for African

American, Latino and Asian children and
for children who speak Spanish,
Portuguese, Laotian, Vietnamese or
Cambodian.

It is important for the foster parents

to work with the childs parents with the
support of Department staff.
However, your involvement with the childs
family is determined on an individual case
by case basis.

What are the requirements?

You may be single, married,

partnered, divorced or widowed
to become a foster parent.

You may have up to six children

residing in your home at any
given time.This includes birth
children, adopted children, foster
children, relatives children, or
day care children.

Why do children need

foster care?
Children need foster care for many
reasons. Mostly, they come to the
Department of Social Services as a result
of abuse and neglect.
There is an alarming increase in
substance abuse and a dramatic increase
in domestic violence. All of this affects
parents ability to adequately care for
their children.
All children in foster care need
stability, comfort and routine back in
their lives. Our goal is to ensure safety,
well-being and permanency for all
children in foster care.

In Massachusetts, you need to be at

least 18 years of age to become a
foster parent.

You may either rent or own your

own home.
However, the living and sleeping
quarters must be large enough
to provide adequate space, privacy
and safety for all household
members, as well as comply with
other state regulations.

Your family must have a stable source of

income to be able to adequately support
all your current household members.

You can be at home or work.

Your home needs to meet safety

requirements and standards.

The Department of Social Services will

complete a Background Record Check
as part of the licensing process.

The Department of Social Services feels

very strongly that children should be with
their parents whenever possible and
works very hard with the childs parents
to try to help this happen.When this isnt
possible, the Department works to find an
alternative, permanent family for
the children.

Can I decide the age or

gender of the child?
Yes. As part of the licensing process, you
and your social worker will decide together
which children placed in your home would
be the best match for your family.

What is involved in
the training to become
a foster parent?
The type of training required to become a
foster parent will vary.
The most extensive training for
foster parents is called MAPP
Massachusetts Approach to Partnership
in Parenting.
The training is designed to help
families understand the difficulty
children in foster care face. It also
helps families understand how foster
parenting will affect your family.
MAPP training offers skills in a number
of different areas such as communication,
positive discipline and the building of
self-esteem.
The training includes in-home interviews
that allow the Social Worker to gather
family information and get to know you
and your family.
Once the training is successfully completed
and the interviewing is over, the decision
is made to approve you as a licensed
foster parent.

What are some of the

most important qualities
for being a foster parent?
The Massachusetts Department of
Social Services is looking for people
who feel ready to face the challenge
of parenting.
You need to be a good communicator and
problem solver; you must be able to
express, accept and understand feelings
both yours and the childs.You need to
have the ability to support the physical
and emotional needs of a child in crisis.
Having a sense of humor will also be
helpful to you as a foster parent.

What about medical

insurance and other
expenses for foster
children?
As a foster parent, you are reimbursed for
taking a child into your home.This includes
a stipend for daily expenses, a quarterly
clothing allowance and coverage of the
childs medical expenses.

What support services are

available to foster parents?
You will be assigned a Foster Care Social
Worker.There will also be a Social Worker
assigned to each child placed in your home.
There are also other supportive services
available to assist you that your Foster Care
Social Worker will discuss with you.This
includes an after hours, toll free Helpline.

Standards for Agency Foster/Pre-Adoptive Parents

The need is great for families to become foster care and adoption placements for children
who enter Agency care or custody.The Department welcomes your expression of interest
in becoming a foster or adoptive family for such children.We hope you appreciate our
need to ensure that the Departments children receive the care they deserve from qualified
families who are fully prepared for the role they are assuming.
The children in the care and custody of the Department need close and careful supervision.
The Agency, therefore, limits the number of children residing and being cared for in any
foster or adoptive home, inclusive of child care and babysitting, to no more than 8 children
in total, of whom no more than 6 are foster children. As of January 1, 1999, these limits are
reduced to 6 and 4. In addition, no more than 2 children age 24 months or younger and no
more than 1 infant age 1 month or younger, except for siblings, can be cared for by the
foster/pre-adoptive parent.

Standards for Eligibility to Apply

At least 1 prospective applicant in the household has a basic ability to read

and write in English or in the familys primary language.

The prospective applicant(s) has sufficient time and availability to be a foster/

pre-adoptive parent(s). A foster/adoptive parent may place a foster/adoptive
child in work-related child care for no more than 50 hours per week for a preschool age child or 25 hours per week for a child in grade one or up.

The prospective applicant(s) is a US citizen or a qualified, documented alien.

Standards for Foster/Pre-Adoptive Family Homes

Home must be clean, safe, free of obvious fire and other hazards, and of sufficient
size to accommodate comfortably all members of the household and the approved
number of foster/pre-adoptive children.

Home must have safe and adequate lighting, ventilation, hot and cold water supply,
plumbing, electricity and heat.

Home must be furnished with a refrigerator and cooking stove in safe

working condition.

No foster/adoptive child over age one year shall share a bedroom with an adult.

No foster/adoptive child over age 4 years, except for siblings up to age 8 years, shall
share a bedroom with a child of the opposite sex.

Home must have sufficient furniture to allow each child to sleep in a separate bed and
to have adequate storage space for her/his belongings.

Home must have bedrooms which provide at least 50 square feet per child; the
Department may waive this requirement for kinship homes if the bedrooms provide at
least 35 square feet per child for the 30 working day period during which the full
assessment is completed and assists the family in obtaining a long-term waiver
from OCCS.

No bedroom to be used by foster/adoptive children shall be located above the second

floor unless any such floor has 2 safe means of egress.

No bedroom to be used by foster/adoptive children shall be located below the first floor
unless it contains a ground level, standard door exit and at least one operable window.

The home shall be equipped with smoke detectors in working order on every floor,
including the basement.

If well water is used, it shall be tested and determined safe, and a report of the test
results furnished to the Department.

The home must not have any household member, alternative caretaker or frequent
visitor who would, in the judgment of the Department, pose a threat of abuse or
neglect to children placed in the home, or would impede or prevent the provision of
adequate foster/pre-adoptive care in the home.

The family has a working telephone in the home for both incoming and outgoing calls.

Any firearms located in the home shall be registered and licensed in accordance with
state law. All firearms shall be trigger-locked or fully inoperable and stored without
ammunition in a locked area. Ammunition shall be stored in a separate locked location.

Any home that is used for family child care must be in compliance with the requirements of OCCS, as set forth in 102 CMR 8.07 8.09.

The Department utilizes these standards and those below for foster/pre-adoptive family
homes to determine at the outset whether families meet certain basic requirements:

Any individual providing foster/pre-adoptive care must have reached her/his 18th
birthday.The parent of a child to be placed in foster/pre-adoptive care is not eligible to
be a foster/pre-adoptive parent for that child. All approved foster/pre-adoptive parents
are eligible to receive reimbursement for children placed in their home.This reimbursement is equal to the standard foster care rate for a child of that age.
All household members, age 14 years and older, must have a record which is free of
criminal conduct which, in the judgment of the Department, bears upon the foster/
pre-adoptive familys ability to assume and carry out the responsibilities of a foster/
pre-adoptive parent.
No member of the household is currently, or during the 12 months prior to completion
of the Family Resource Registration of Interest, has been involved in an open case
with the Department, except, with the approval of a clinical review team:
to receive services following an adoption legalization, except those due to a
supported 51A;
to receive services on behalf of a child for whom a household member is a
guardian; or
when the household member is the parent of a child to be placed with a kinship
family and she/he is also a child under age 18 years who has an open case due to a
CHINS petition, a voluntary request for services or a care and protection petition in
which she/he is a victim, not a perpetrator.

No member of the household has been identified as the person alleged to be

responsible for abuse or neglect of a child in a supported 51B investigation and the
report which identified her/him is referred to the District Attorney.

No member of the household has a history of involvement with the Department

which would bear adversely on the prospective foster/pre-adoptive parents ability to
assume and carry out foster/pre-adoption responsibilities.

The family has a stable source of income for support of current household members.

The family has a stable housing history and current housing which meets the
Departments physical requirements and currently has sufficient space to accommodate
at least one additional household member within the Departments limits for maximum number of children in the home.

Standards for Approval/Licensing

After being determined eligible to apply, families complete an application and begin a
family resource assessment, during which the Department evaluates whether the family
and home meet the following standards:

Foster/adoptive parent(s), through the successful completion of the Departments

assessment and of the approved foster/adoptive family pre-service training program
specified for each type of approval/licensing, must demonstrate skill in parenting and
providing substitute care including the following:
1. The physical and emotional stability and well-being to assure that a child placed
in her/his care will experience a safe, supportive and stable family environment
which is free from abuse and neglect.
2. The ability to assure that a child placed in her/his care will be provided with
adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision and other essential care at all times.
3. The ability to assure that a child placed in her/his care will be provided with
routine and emergency medical and dental care.
4. The ability to assure that a child in her/his care will be expected to attend school
regularly and will be provided with the opportunity to participate in an educational program and extracurricular activities which meet her/his needs.
5. The ability to promote the physical, mental and emotional well-being of a child in
her/his care.
6. The ability to draw upon community and professional resources as needed.

16. The ability to develop with the Department, and commit to, an annual plan for
participation in the Department-approved training, education, and support
for foster/adoptive family competency development (at least 10 hours per
household per year; may be modified for kinship and child-specific families).

7. The ability to transport children within current legal standards set by state law.
8. The ability to respect the integrity of a foster/adoptive childs racial, ethnic,
linguistic, cultural and religious background.
9. The ability to manage the stressful situations which are frequently associated
with the placement of a child such as the temporary nature of the placement, the
integration of a child in crisis into the family, and the potential return of the child
to his/her family.
10. The ability to assist the foster/adoptive child in handling their situation,
such as removal from the home of the parent(s); placement in a new home
environment, including a new school (when applicable); visits with parents and
siblings; and possible return to the home of the parent(s) or placement in other
substitute care.
11. The ability to deal with difficult issues in the foster/adoptive childs background
and to be able to talk with the child comfortably and constructively about her/his
birthparents and family.
12. The ability to have reasonable expectations of foster/adoptive childrens behavior
and potential growth.
13. The ability to respect and be bound by the same standards of confidentiality as
the Department and its employees.
14. The ability to accept and support the foster/adoptive childs relationship with
her/his parents and the Department.
15. The ability to work with the Department and the foster/adoptive childs parents
in implementing the childs service plan in order to meet developmental goals
and outcomes.

17. The ability to assume and carry out all responsibilities of a foster/adoptive parent
as detailed in An Agreement Between the Massachusetts Department of Social
Services and Foster/Adoptive Families.

Foster/adoptive parent applicants must be free of any physical, mental or emotional

illness which, in the judgment of the Department would impair her/his ability to
assume and carry out the responsibilities of a foster/adoptive parent. No handicap in
and of itself shall disqualify an individual from eligibility as a foster/adoptive parent.

Foster/adoptive applicants must not provide, or seek to provide, foster/adoptive care

to a child solely for the purpose of applying for or receiving fees, income or other
benefits from public or private sources for anyone other than the foster/adoptive child.

Following completion of the written assessment, all foster/adoptive parent(s) will enter
into An Agreement Between the Massachusetts Department of Social Services and Foster/
Adoptive Parents.This agreement will indicate the type of approval the foster/adoptive
family received according to the categories below:
kinship,
child-specific, or
unrestricted.
Unrestricted foster/adoptive families are issued a license. All foster/ adoptive families
are re-evaluated using these standards, as well as the Department regulations and policy,
on a regular basis. Licenses are renewed every 2 years.

An Agreement Between the Department of Social Services and Foster/Adoptive Parents

GENERAL INTRODUCTION The Department of Social
Services strives to strengthen and encourage family life
for the protection and care of children. Foster/adoptive
families are an important resource for achieving these
goals. Foster/adoptive families provide a healthy setting
for a child until he or she can either return home or, if
necessary, be placed in an alternate permanent home.

This Agreement informs Department foster/adoptive

families of their responsibilities. The Department sets
forth herein its responsibilities to foster/adoptive families.
This Agreement will remain in effect throughout a persons
career as a foster/adoptive parent, unless terminated by
either party. This Agreement will be reviewed and updated
as part of the foster/adoptive family re-evaluation process.

For purposes of this document, the term adoptive

parent refers to a person with whom DSS has placed a
child(ren) for adoption but legalization of the adoption
has not yet occurred.

The Department of Social Services agrees to:

1. Provide the family with sufficient information about a
child who is in DSS care or custody, prior to placement,
so that she or he can knowledgeably determine
whether or not to accept the child, and to provide
the foster/adoptive family with sufficient ongoing
information about the child who is in DSS care or
custody to enable the foster/adoptive family to provide adequate care to that child and to meet the individual needs of that child.
2. Provide the foster/adoptive family with relevant
training programs.
3. Assign a social worker who will be responsible for
providing direct service to the child who is in DSS care
or custody (and her/his biological family), supporting
her/his placement with the foster/adoptive family,
and visiting the child and the foster/adoptive family
at least once a month.
4. Assign a family resource worker who will be
responsible for providing critical support to the
foster/adoptive family; conducting evaluations;
and preparing documentation as required by policy,
including documentation of any significant changes
in the home, such as: addition of a new household
member; death; serious illness or serious injury of
a household member; separation or divorce of the
foster/adoptive parents; loss of employment by a
foster/adoptive parent or head of household; reduction
of foster/adoptive family income; loss of foster/
adoptive parents qualified citizenship status; or
changes in the residence. (Any significant change will
be immediately communicated to the childs social
worker.) The family resource worker will contact
the foster/adoptive family monthly during the
probationary period [i.e., the first six (6) months
after approval/licensing], will visit the home monthly
following the placement of a child in the home, and
will visit every other month after the probationary
period has ended.
5. Involve the foster/adoptive family in the planning and
implementation of services for the child in her/his
care. The Service Plan will identify the goal,
outcome/type of changes needed, and tasks/services
(with related completion dates) for the family, the
Department, and other parties, including the
foster/adoptive family. The foster/adoptive family

signs and is provided with a copy of the Service Plan.

6. Invite the foster/adoptive family to Foster Care
Reviews and other case conferences.
7. Inform the foster/adoptive family of the range and
frequency of payments she/he will receive for the care
of a child who is in DSS care or custody.
8. Provide the foster/adoptive family with a Medical
Passport for each child who is in DSS care or custody
placed in the home and ensure that each childs
medical and dental expenses are covered.
9. Delegate to the foster/adoptive family the right to
arrange for and authorize routine medical and dental
care for a child who is in DSS care or custody placed
with the foster/adoptive family.
10. Delegate to the foster/adoptive family the right to
authorize appropriate school-related activities such as
registration and field trips for a child placed with the
foster/adoptive family.
11. If the parent of a child in DSS care or custody will not
be serving as the educational decision maker for
her/his child, arrange for the foster/adoptive parent
to serve as the childs educational decision maker for
special education or early intervention services, including, when necessary, recommending the foster/
adoptive parent to the Department of Education or
the Department of Public Health, respectively, for
appointment as an Educational Surrogate Parent,
when it would be in the best interests of the child.
12. Recognize the foster/adoptive familys right to maintain
the foster/ adoptive familys child-rearing practices,
as long as these do not conflict with Departmental
regulation or policy, or the needs of the child.
13. Make available to the foster/adoptive family the
Departments reviews or re-evaluations of the
foster/adoptive family, upon request by the foster/
adoptive family.
14. Supply the foster/adoptive family with information on
the procedures for requesting review of Departmental
decisions, filing a complaint through a grievance,
requesting a Fair Hearing, the process for closing a
foster/adoptive home, and the process for removing
a child who is in DSS care or custody from a foster/
adoptive family.

15. Provide limited amounts of reimbursement, secondary

to other primary insurance (such as homeowners), for
reimbursement on account of theft of or damage to the
foster/adoptive familys property that is the result of
deliberate, malicious action by a child who is in DSS care
or custody.
16. Notify the foster/adoptive family if the Department
decides to pursue legal guardianship or adoption for a
child placed with the foster/adoptive family, and afford
the foster/adoptive family adequate opportunity to
apply to become the legal guardian or adoptive parent
for that child.
17. Notify the foster/adoptive family, in writing including
the reason(s), at least ten (10) calendar days in advance
of a decision to remove a child from the foster/adoptive
family, except when the Area Director has determined
that the childs physical, mental, or emotional well-being
would be endangered by remaining in the home; and
within three (3) working days after a decision is made to
close the foster/ adoptive home.
18. Ensure that a plan is developed with the foster/
adoptive family for the care of a child who is in DSS
care or custody during any extended absences of the
foster/adoptive family.
19. Make available to the foster/adoptive family a
Payment Assistance Line [(PAL) 1-800-632-8218],
which the foster/adoptive family can call for help in
resolving long-standing payment problems, after the
foster/adoptive family has tried to resolve them with
the Area Office.
20. Make after-hours assistance available to the
foster/adoptive family through the MSPCC Kids Net
Connection (1-800-486-3730).

The Foster/Adoptive Family Agrees, for each child placed in his/her home, to:
1. Promote the physical, mental, and emotional
well-being of the child as well as assist the child
in maximizing his or her potential.
2. Meet the childs individual needs related to her/
his racial, ethnic, linguistic or cultural background,
encouraging an understanding and appreciation of
this heritage.
3. Support the reunification of the child and family, or
an alternative permanent plan as indicated on the
Service Plan.
4. Permit and support visits between the child and the
childs parents and/or siblings as recommended by the
Department, both within and outside the foster/
adoptive family home.
5. Not use any physical punishment upon any child who
is in DSS care or custody.
6. Participate fully in the implementation of the
childs Service Plan, including goal development,
and tasks for the child and foster/ adoptive family,
and participate in Foster Care Reviews and other
case conferences.
7. Maintain confidentiality in all matters concerning
the child and his/her family. (Foster/adoptive families
are bound by the same standards of confidentiality as
the Department and its employees.)
8. Participate in pre-service and in-service training
programs as required by the Department.
9. Schedule appointments for the childs routine health
care and dental care and any needed follow-up and
ensure that these appointments are kept.
10. Advise the childs social worker of changes in the
childs health status, of medical and dental care
received, and of recommendations made; any
recommendation regarding the use of restraints by
medication or artificial means must be brought to the
attention of the family resource worker in addition to
the childs social worker.
11. Hold the childs Medical Passport; request written
documentation from medical providers for inclusion
in the passport; and submit encounter forms to the
childs social worker. Ensure that the Medical Passport
is available at the Foster Care Review.

12. Arrange for emergency medical treatment when

necessary.
13. Provide, or support the provision of, needed
specialized medical or dental care as specified in
the Service Plan.
14. Authorize appropriate general school-related activities
such as registration and field trips and notify the
Department of educational activities authorized for
the child.
15. When requested by DSS, or appointed by the
Department of Education or Department of Public
Health, serve as the childs educational decision maker
for special education or early intervention services,
respectively.
16. Immediately report to the Family Resource Unit all
significant changes in the home, such as: addition of a
new household member (other than the placement of
a child who is in DSS care or custody); death, serious
illness, etc., of a household member; separation or
divorce of the foster/adoptive parents; loss of employment by a foster/adoptive parent or head of household; reduction of foster/adoptive family income; loss
of foster/adoptive parents qualified citizenship status;
and any other change that affects the ability of the
foster/adoptive family to conform to DSS standards.
17. Immediately report to the Family Resource Unit any
new individual who will care on a regular basis for a
child who is in DSS care or custody.
18. Advise the Area Office of the foster/adoptive familys
affiliation with any other child-placement agency.
19. Ensure that additional placements of foster/pre-adoptive children by another agency will not be undertaken
without the clear understanding and approval of the
Area Office.
20. Notify the Department of a change in the structure
or location of the foster/adoptive familys residence
at least sixty (60) days in advance, or at the earliest
possible time.
21. Notify the Department of a change in the home
telephone number.
22. Notify the Department of any vacation or trip that
would result in the foster/adoptive familys overnight
absence from their usual place of residence.

Massachusetts
Department of
Social Services

23. Obtain Department consent before taking a child who

is in DSS care or custody out of the state.
24. Give up care of the child to no one other than the
Department, or a person or agency designated by
the Department, unless ordered to do so by a court of
competent jurisdiction.
25. Give the Department at least ten (10) working days
notice if removal of the child from the foster/adoptive
family is desired, except when immediate removal is
necessary to ensure the life, health, or emotional
well-being of the child or of foster/adoptive family
household members.
26. Notify the Department immediately if he/she knows,
or reasonably believes that a child placed in the home
intends to run away, and notify the Department and
the local police immediately, if the foster/adoptive
family learns that the child has run away or is missing.
The foster/adoptive family should call the
Departments HOTLINE (1-800-792-5200) after hours,
if necessary.
27. Notify the Department of any overpayment made on
the childs behalf by DSS to the foster/adoptive family.
Any overpayment will be deducted from a future
payment. If there is no future payment, the foster/
adoptive family is required to contact the PAL Line
(1-800-632-8218) to arrange for return of the
overpayment.
28. Ensure that any firearms located in the home are
registered and licensed in accordance with state law;
are trigger-locked or fully inoperable and stored without ammunition in a locked area; and that ammunition is stored in a separate, locked location.
29. Maintain insurance (homeowners, etc.) to cover
damage to or loss of the foster/ adoptive familys
property, caused by a child who is in DSS care or
custody. Such insurance shall be the foster/adoptive
familys primary insurance.
30. Make efforts to maintain the childs personal
belongings.
31. Comply with Department regulations and policies,
including the standards for serving as a DSS foster/
adoptive family.

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