Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents - Nevada

Who May Apply

Citation: Admin. Code §§ 424.255 through 424.265

Foster home parents shall:

• Be competent adults with a demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and decision-making
• Be willing to be a team member with the agency in establishing and carrying out agency goals for the child
• Possess skills necessary to live amiably as a family group
• Have the character and personality to give care to children
• Accept and respect each child as an individual
• Be kind and friendly
• Have knowledge and understanding of child care and problems of children
• Be flexible in their approaches to child care
• Participate in and effectively apply training as required
• Be prepared to serve as an appropriate role model for foster children and their parents
• Present a positive image to the community
• Maintain good community relationships

The integrity and conduct of foster home parents shall be above reproach, especially with regards to their role as foster caregivers.

An applicant to be a foster parent must be age 21 or older. The age of the foster parent should be considered only as it affects his or her physical energy, flexibility, or ability to care for a specific child and in relation to the probable duration of the care of a particular child.

The foster family must have demonstrated sound money-management practices and financial responsibility. Households receiving aid to dependent children or food stamps may apply to become foster parents but should contact their eligibility worker to determine how the foster care payment will affect their benefits under those programs.

Training Requirements

Citation: Admin. Code § 424.270

Applicants for a license to operate a foster home must attend at least 8 hours of training in foster parenting provided or approved by the agency that provides child welfare services. If the home has a pool, hot tub, another free-standing body of water, or a sauna, the applicants also must complete training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and pool safety before licensure.

Foster parents must attend 4 hours annually of training in foster parenting that is provided or approved by the agency that provides child welfare services.

The annual training or portions of the annual training may for good cause, as determined by the agency that provides child welfare services, be obtained from another agency that places foster children, as a substitute for the training provided by the agency that provides child welfare services, if at least one foster parent participates in the training.

Minimum Standards for Foster Homes

Citation: Admin. Code §§ 424.350 through 424.425

A foster home should be reasonably accessible to educational and religious facilities, medical care, recreational facilities, special facilities for training and guidance of children to be served, fire services and visits from parents and agency staff. The grounds of a foster home must include outdoor space as a recreational area suitable for the size, number, and age of the children accepted for foster care.

The foster home must have at least 200 square feet of living space per occupant, including foster children. All rooms used as living or sleeping quarters, including kitchens and lavatories, must be clean, lighted, well-ventilated, and heated. Rooms must have furnishings comfortable and suitable for use by children, as appropriate.

Rooms used by children for sleeping must have a minimum of 35 square feet per child and 3 feet of floor space between beds. Children of the opposite sex who are age 5 or older must not share a bedroom, and children over age 12 months must not sleep in the same room with an adult.

Each child must be provided with his or her own bed that must be at least 30 inches wide and of a length that is adequate for the child's height.

A family foster home must have the following:

• At least one toilet and one tub or shower and at least one washbasin with hot and cold running water
• Portable fire extinguishers on each story of the structure
• Smoke detectors in every room where foster children sleep
• A telephone, where available

Approval Process

Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 424.031; 424.033; Admin. Code §§ 424.120; 423.130; 424.275

The licensing authority shall obtain from appropriate law enforcement agencies information on the background and personal history of each applicant and residents of a foster home who are age 18 or older (other than a resident who remains in foster care after age 18) to determine whether the person investigated has been arrested for, has charges pending for, or has been convicted of any crime that would disqualify him or her for approval.

For each person being investigated, the licensing authority shall conduct a child abuse and neglect screening in every State in which the person has resided during the immediately preceding 5 years.

In regulation: A licensing authority representative shall conduct a fair and impartial investigation of each foster home after receipt of an application for licensure and shall investigate the home to determine whether the licensing requirements are met. A licensing authority representative may visit the foster home at any time, announced or unannounced, to determine compliance with licensing requirements and must be available for consultation as appropriate. The licensing authority representative shall visit each foster home at least once during the annual licensing period. That visit may be conducted as part of the initial issuance of a license or the renewal of a license.

A licensing authority representative shall conduct a fair and impartial inspection of each foster home at initial licensing and at least one visit annually thereafter. The licensing authority representative may request any health, fire, building, or other inspection if he or she has any reason for concern regarding the health or safety of the foster home.

Adults who provide foster care for children shall provide evidence of their character and ability to care for children. The licensing authority must have received at least five satisfactory references for such a person.

Grounds for Withholding Approval

Citation: Admin. Code §§ 424.110; 424.185 through 424.195

Intentional misrepresentation or omission of information on a foster home application is cause for the immediate denial of the application or revocation of the license. Such a denial or revocation is not subject to appeal.

The licensing authority shall deny a license to operate a foster home for a failure or refusal to comply with the licensing requirements for a foster home. The licensing authority shall evaluate that compliance based on information gathered as well as on its interpretation of that information considering its experience with foster children and foster homes. The first responsibility of the licensing authority is to ensure licensed foster homes can provide for foster children. The licensing authority is not required to prove noncompliance in those areas that are a matter of judgment but may deny, suspend, or revoke licensure based on reasonable doubt.

Any applicant who has a finding of substantiated abuse or neglect of a child or whose own children have been in foster care or otherwise placed outside of the home for the purpose of adoption or foster care must be denied a license to operate a foster home.

A license to operate a foster home must not be issued if the applicant or a household member has ever had a felony conviction for the following:

• Child abuse or neglect
• Spousal abuse
• Any crime against children, including child pornography
• Any crime involving violence, including rape, sexual assault, or homicide, but not including any other physical assault or battery
• Physical assault, battery, or a drug-related offense, if the offense was committed within the last 5 years

Kinship Foster Care

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 128.110

If the child is placed in the custody and control of a person or agency qualified to receive children for placement, the person or agency, in seeking to place the child, may give preference to the placement of the child with any person related within the fifth degree of consanguinity to the child whom the person or agency finds suitable and able to provide proper care and guidance for the child, regardless of whether the relative resides within the State.

Foster to Adopt

This issue is not addressed in the statutes and regulations reviewed.

Interjurisdictional Approval

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 127.330

Any out-of-home placement of a child outside the State is subject to the provisions of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.

The child shall not be sent into the receiving State until the appropriate public authorities in the receiving State notify the sending agency, in writing, that the proposed placement does not appear to be contrary to the interests of the child.

Links to Resources

State regulations full text