People iconNew Resource Covers Updates to Licensing Rules

In late 2023, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) 56 Foster Home Care for Children Advisory Council was formed to begin revising DCF 56 – also known as the “Foster Home Care for Children” rule. 

In support of DCF’s and system partners’ shared effort to keep children with those who know and love them whenever possible, this project will establish licensing standards for relatives and like-kin, as well as focus on:

  • Aligning DCF’s foster care licensing rules with the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Model Foster Family Home Licensing Standards,
  • Removing barriers to licensure,
  • and reducing workload for licensing agencies. 

A new resource – “DCF 56 Licensing Standards Updates” – is now available to offer more information about standards updates the workgroup is exploring as well as next steps for this work. 

Please also consider joining the virtual Statewide Permanency Collaborative on September 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to learn about and collaborate on the new proposed pathway for licensing relative and like-kin foster homes. Use this Zoom link to join the meeting, and feel free to reach out to Dana Johnson with any questions. 

Additional information about the Division of Safety and Permanence’s rule revisions can be found on our rule revisions webpage.