Yes, you can foster a child from another state, but the child cannot legally cross state lines until both states approve the placement in writing through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted this compact, and it governs every interstate foster placement without exception.1Office of Justice Programs. Guide to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Expect the process to take several months for a standard placement, and expect the paperwork to flow between two state-level offices before anyone books travel.
When the Interstate Compact Applies
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a binding agreement among all the states and covered territories that creates one uniform process for placing a child across state lines for foster care or adoption.1Office of Justice Programs. Guide to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children The rule at the center of it is simple: the child does not move until the receiving state gives written approval.
Not every child crossing a state line triggers the compact. The ICPC does not apply when a parent, stepparent, grandparent, adult sibling, adult aunt or uncle, or non-agency guardian sends or brings a child to live with one of those same relatives in another state, provided that person’s full legal right to plan for the child was established before the arrangement and has not been reduced by a court order.2Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children – Regulations It also does not reach custody decisions made in divorce, paternity, or probate cases. But once a child welfare agency is involved and the child is going to a foster or pre-adoptive family in another state, the compact applies.
Get Licensed in the State Where You Live
Before any interstate paperwork starts, you need to be a licensed foster parent in the state where you live. That is the receiving state, and it is the one whose license matters. If you already hold a valid foster care license from a previous state of residence, the receiving state should generally accept it as sufficient to support placement approval unless it has expired or evidence suggests it is no longer valid, though the receiving state can still require you to obtain its own license after the child arrives.2Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children – Regulations
Licensing requirements vary by state but generally include a set number of training hours, criminal background checks with fingerprinting for FBI and state records, and health and safety standards for the home. Some states require medical examinations for everyone in the household. Fingerprinting and background check fees usually run somewhere between $15 and $35 per person, and some states cover them entirely.
Every applicant also completes a home study. A social worker interviews everyone in the household in person, inspects the home, and reviews your family history, finances, parenting approach, and support network. Married applicants apply together, and other adults in the household who would supervise or discipline a foster child may need to meet licensing standards as well.
How the ICPC Approval Actually Moves
The process starts in the “sending state,” where the child currently lives. A caseworker there assembles a request packet with the child’s social, medical, and educational history and the status of any court case, along with information about you as the proposed placement, including a copy of your license and home study if one is already on file.3American Public Human Services Association. ICPC FAQs
That packet goes to the sending state’s central ICPC office, which sends it to the ICPC office in your state. State-to-state transfers happen at that central level, not directly between local agencies. Your state’s ICPC office then routes the request to a local child welfare agency near you, which evaluates whether the placement meets that state’s foster care standards.
Federal law requires the receiving state to complete its home study evaluation and send a written report back to the sending state within 60 calendar days of receiving the placement request.3American Public Human Services Association. ICPC FAQs The receiving state’s ICPC administrator then issues a formal decision on a standardized document called ICPC Form 100A, which has two boxes: “Placement May Be Made” or “Placement Shall Not Be Made.”2Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children – Regulations Only after the sending state receives a favorable 100A can travel arrangements begin. Moving the child before that violates the compact.
Faster Track for Placements with Relatives
The standard timeline is not the only option. Regulation 7 of the ICPC provides an expedited process for placements with parents, stepparents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult aunts or uncles, or a child’s guardian. To qualify, the case must meet at least one of four criteria: the child’s dependency was caused by a sudden incarceration, incapacitation, or death of a parent or guardian; the child is four years old or younger, including older siblings placed together; the child has a substantial existing relationship with the proposed caregiver; or the child is currently in an emergency placement.2Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children – Regulations
When Regulation 7 applies, the receiving state must issue its placement decision within 20 business days of receiving the request.2Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children – Regulations This track exists because young children and children with existing family connections lose ground fast in temporary placements.
Who Pays and Who Has Legal Authority
Once the child is with you, the sending state remains in charge. Under Article V of the compact, the sending agency keeps jurisdiction over the child’s custody, supervision, care, treatment, and disposition and holds complete financial responsibility for the child’s support and maintenance for as long as the placement continues.3American Public Human Services Association. ICPC FAQs Court hearings, case planning, and foster care payments continue to run through the sending state’s agency.
Your foster care payments are funded by the sending state, and the financial plan for the child, including the rate and any additional supports, is typically negotiated as part of the ICPC process. Payment rates vary between states, so the amount you receive may not match what your state would pay for an in-state placement. Confirming the rate before you agree to the placement is worth doing.
The sending state’s jurisdiction continues until the child is adopted, reaches the age of majority, becomes self-supporting, or is discharged by mutual agreement with the receiving state. If the child commits a crime or delinquent act in your state, however, your state has jurisdiction over that specific incident.
Day-to-day supervision is handled locally. A caseworker from a child welfare agency in your state supervises the placement under the same standards that apply to any foster child in that state, with face-to-face visits at least monthly and written reports back to the sending state at least every 90 days.4American Public Human Services Association. Best Practice Guidelines for a Receiving State’s Supervision of Children Placed by a Sending State via the ICPC
Medical Coverage After the Move
Medical coverage generally follows the child to the new state. If the child is Title IV-E eligible, a federal eligibility category tied to the Social Security Act, the child’s state of residence must provide Medicaid coverage.5American Public Human Services Association. Medicaid and the Intersection of Federal and State Law: ICPC and ICAMA Because Medicaid is a federal program, an otherwise eligible child cannot be denied benefits based on where the case originated. If for some reason coverage cannot be accessed in your state, the sending state remains responsible for making sure the child has medical care.
How Long the Whole Thing Takes
Realistic expectations matter here. The 60-day home study deadline is one segment of a longer chain: assembling the packet, sending-state review, transmission to the receiving state, local agency assignment, the home study itself, central office review of that study, and the formal decision going back. Each handoff adds time. For standard foster care placements, six to nine months is not unusual. Regulation 7 cases move faster, with the 20-business-day decision window, but that track is limited to certain relatives and guardians meeting the specific criteria.
Regular contact with caseworkers in both states is the most effective thing you can do to keep things moving. Delays often come down to a document sitting on someone’s desk, and a phone call at the right moment tends to move it faster than waiting.
If the Placement Is Denied
If the receiving state checks “Placement Shall Not Be Made” on the 100A, options are limited. There is no formal nationwide appeal process for ICPC denials, and whether any appeal mechanism exists depends on the individual state.3American Public Human Services Association. ICPC FAQs A denial is not necessarily permanent, though. If the issue was correctable, such as an incomplete background check or a safety problem in the home that has since been fixed, the sending agency can address the concern and resubmit, which restarts the clock. The sending state’s caseworker is usually the best person to explain why a denial happened and what, if anything, can be done next.