Apply to the Children’s Service for a consultation on creating a foster family

How to apply:

• Online — via the DIIA state service portal
• In person — to the Children’s service at your place of residence

Outcome of Step:

You have attended a consultation and understood the differences between the various forms of family care available for children who are orphaned and deprived of parental care – adoption, guardianship and custody, foster family, large foster family (FTCH) and foster care. You have decided that you are ready to offer family care to children who are orphaned and children deprived of parental care in the form of an foster family, and are ready to take the next step.

Collate the package of documents and participate in assessment.

Foster family candidates must file an application to the Children’s Service at their place of residence and submit the required package of documents for the creation of the foster family.

A hard copy application can be filed in person with the Children’s Service, or electronically via this link: Foster parents, caregiving parents: getting registered as a candidate | Diia

Spouses who intend to create an foster family must file a joint statement, signed by each spouse, and provide all the documents for each of them, except for the document on income, which can be filed by one person. If one of the spouses is doing military service, that spouse does not need to submit a health statement. The health statement shall be filed by within fifteen calendar days following their return from military service.
The package of documents required for applying to create an foster family

Outcome of Step:

After the documents are checked, the Children’s Service enters data into the Unified Data Bank (the unified electronic data bank on children who are orphaned and children deprived of parental care, and families of potential adoptive parents, foster parents, guardians, custodians), assesses the applicants’ living conditions, and submits an electronic request to the social service centre to arrange training on the care of children who are orphaned and children deprived of parental care.

Take the training course on the care of children who are orphaned and deprived of parental care

The Social Service Centre will inform the Children’s Service of existing opportunities and training dates. Employees of the Children’s Service will inform you and issue an electronic or paper referral to the training course, specifying the establishment, institution or organisation offering the training. The Social Service Centre can inform you of the details of available training courses.

Outcome of Step:

Following successful completion of the training course on the care of children who are orphaned and deprived of parental care, you will receive a certificate of completion and recommendations on the creation of the family-based care within five business days. A copy of the certificate will be sent by the centre to the Children’s Service, along with notification by telephone. The certificate is valid for 24 months.

The Social Service Centre will send a copy of documents upon completion of the training to the children’s service that referred you to the training course. Please be proactive and send the certificate and recommendations to the specialists at the Children’s Service as soon as you receive them.

The Children’s Service shall register you in the potential guardian, custodian, foster parent, adoptive parent log and draw up an opinion on creating the foster family.