Home Study Requirements for Prospective Foster Parents - Virgin Islands

Date: February 2018

Who May Apply

Citation: Code of Rules 34-005-000, § 104-77

The study as a whole shall determine that:

  • All members of the household have a good reputation and are a harmonious family group.
  • The foster parents have definite religious convictions and agree to permit the child to continue in his or her own faith.
  • All members of the household can present a medical certificate attesting that they are free from tuberculosis and communicable diseases, are in good physical and mental health, and able to provide all necessary care for the child.
  • The foster parents are young enough to be able to provide good physical care for the child. This shall normally be interpreted to mean that the father shall not be more than 55 years older than the child and the mother not more than 45 years older than the child.
  • The foster parents agree to accept supervision of and cooperate with the agency relative to all aspects of good child care.

Training Requirements

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

Minimum Standards for Foster Homes

Citation: Code of Rules 34-005-000, § 104-77

The study as a whole shall determine that:

  • The home is not overcrowded and that the addition of a foster child would not cause:
    • Sharing of a bedroom by a child age 5 or older with an older person
    • Sharing of a single bed under any circumstances or sharing a double bed with any person except a child of the same sex
    • A crib being shared by infants
  • The home is properly ventilated.
  • The home has refrigeration for necessary storage and preservation of food.
  • The home can provide outdoor play space suited to the age and needs of the child.
  • The home is reasonably accessible to schools, churches, public recreation facilities, and neighbors.
  • The standards of cleanliness and housekeeping are adequate.
  • Water supply and sanitation complies with all requirements of the Department of Health.

Approval Process

Citation: Code of Rules 34-005-000, § 104-77

Each prospective foster home must be carefully studied prior to placement of a child. A comprehensive, objective evaluation of the home shall be recorded in a folder set up under the name of the foster parents. All contacts with the foster parents shall be properly recorded in this record.

The detailed study shall include the following social data about each of the foster parents:

  • Complete health examination, including general health information, that rules out the existence of tuberculosis, other communicable diseases, and mental or nervous disorders
  • Sufficient detailed information to show the reason they desire to foster a child

Relatives and children of the foster parents must favor the placement and should join in welcoming the child in the home. The foster parents must have sufficient income for family maintenance without having to depend on the board payment.

Interviews will be conducted to establish a relationship with the division that will help the foster parents talk about what they have to offer and decide whether they are ready to accept all of the responsibilities and obligations involved in boarding children. Several visits shall be made to the home in order to have a personal interview with every member of the household to determine that everyone will welcome a child into the home and that the foster parents are emotionally stable and mature people.

An evaluation on each foster home shall be made once each year and shall be properly recorded in the foster parent's record. This shall include a current medical report on every member of the family.

Grounds for Withholding Approval

Citation: Code of Rules 34-005-000, § 104-77

Refusal of the foster parents to undergo a home study is sufficient grounds for the rejection of their application.

Kinship Foster Care

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

Foster to Adopt

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

Interjurisdictional Approval

Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 34, § 121

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.

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