- Variety Children & Family Services
- CERTIFIED FOSTER HOME REQUIREMENTS
As a potential foster parent preparing your home to receive a foster child, please ensure that all of the following home requirements are in place before the final home inspection and prior to certification of your home.
- TWO SMOKE DETECTORS – One should be located near the kitchen area and one located in the hall ways close to the bed rooms.
- FIRST AID KIT – Must contain essential medical emergency supplies which include bandages, antiseptics , a pair of tweezers, scissors, medical tape, gauze, hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol
- LOCKED MEDICAL CONTAINER – Cabinet or box where prescribed or other medications as well as aspirin must be stored.
- LOCKED CABINET– For all items designated “keep out of reach of children. This include bleach, soap, cleaning solutions, poison, pesticides and any other items which may be dangerous to children.
- GASOLINE STORAGE– not more than one gallon of gasoline in the garage and must be locked. No gasoline in the bed room, living room or kitchen.
- HOME REPAIR– There must be no broken windows or doors. No excessively dirty windows.
- OUTSIDE CONDITION– The compound must be clean at all times and free of hazards. No garbage pilling up any where
- FOOD SUPPLY – One week worth of food available in the home including fruits and dairy products.
- BED LINENS – Two sets of bed linens including pillow cases and one pillow for each certified bed
- CONDITION OF HOME– Must be safe, clean and well maintained
- BEDROOMS– No more than two children can be in one bed room. Bedroom must have a door for privacy. Children of the opposite sex may not share a room unless they are under five years of age. Each room must have a bed , dresser with drawers for the child and a space for his clothing and personal belongings
- SHARING A ROOM– Children cannot share a room with an adult (any one over the age of 18) unless under the age of two.
- SWIMMING POOL– All pools, ponds or spas must be surrounded by a five-foot fence with a self locking and self closing gate that opens away from the pool.
- FIREARMS– Must be properly stored in a safe or locked in a cabinet with trigger locks and ammunition locked separately in a locked cabinet.
- BATHROOM SCALE– Children must be weighed monthly.
- FUNCTIONING PHONE– A functioning land or cell phone must be available in the home to maintain contact with Variety Children & family Services and other outside resources.