ICPC State Pages

About the ICPC

The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC) was established in 1974 and consists of members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The AAICPC has authority under ICPC to "promulgate rules and regulations to carry out more effectively the terms and provisions of this compact." The AAICPC obtains its Secretariat Services, as an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).

For more information, please visit the AAICPC website.

Contact the AAICPC

American Public Human Services Association
1133 Nineteenth Street, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 682-0100
fax: (202) 289-6555

Web Manager: Carla Fults [cfults@aphsa.org]

Click on a state to see it's page:

ICPC STATE Pages

California

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time · Phone: (916) 651-8100 · Fax: (916) 651-8144

California Relative Placements

California conducts the following types of home studies:

Relative Care
Foster Care
Relative-Foster Care
Parent Care
Adoption
Other

Relative Home Study

Define Relative:

Relative means an adult who is related to the child by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree of kinship, including stepparents, stepsiblings, and all relatives whose status is preceded by the words "great,""great-great," or "grand," or the spouse of any of these persons, even if the marriage was terminated by death or dissolution

A "nonrelative extended family member" is defined as any adult caregiver who has an established familial or mentoring relationship with the child. The county welfare department shall verify the existence of a relationship through interviews with the parent and child or with one or more third parties. The parties may include relatives of the child, teachers, medical professionals, clergy, neighbors, and family friends.

Relatives must be licensed:

Proof of Paternity Required for Placement with Paternal Relative:

Yes : Proof of paternity is established in ICPC home study request by sending state and that proof is submitted to California receiving agency.

California considers the following types and degrees of relation as relative placements. Individuals related in the 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree and 4th degree (You may need to refer to your state's consanguinity chart or state statute to determine relations or relative status.):

Other

1st degree (Parents) 2nd degree (Grandparents, siblings) 3rd degree (Great grandparents, uncles and aunts, nephews and nieces) 4th degree (Great great grandparents, great uncles and aunts, first cousins, grand nephews and nieces) 5th degree (Great grand uncles and aunts, great grand nephews and nieces, first cousins once removed)

Regulation 7 Priority Placement

California performs priority placements:

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study)

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):

Other: 60 days - Complete home study requests are, on average, processed within 60 days. This process may take longer based on delays resulting from criminal background checks that indicate a criminal history which requires obtaining and reviewing police and court records to process an exemption request, obtaining additional information from prospective caregiver, exceptions and waivers, need for corrections to foster family homes and/or additional information from sending state.

Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):

Other: A criminal records check is required to complete a home study.

California determines the "Date of Receipt" for an interstate home study as:

Other

California determines the date of receipt for an interstate home study as the date when the local agency or district office receives a complete home study request which includes all relevant documents necessary to initiate the home study.

Method of requesting, sending, and/or reporting an interstate home study

	Regular Mail	Express Mail	Overnight Mail
Send request for a home study to Receiving State	y	y	y
Send request for a home study to Receiving State	y	y	y
Send home study report to Sending State	y	y	y

Criminal Records Checks

California requires criminal background checks for the following home studies:

Foster Care
Relative Care
Relative-Foster Care
Adoption
Other, specified below

California does not currently have a joint foster care and adoption assessment/home study process although under concurrent planning the placement agency assists licensed/approved caregivers that commit to wanting to adopt a child to complete the adoption home study process.
To a complete a parent home study for a child under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court a criminal background and child abuse registry check may be made.

Types of Checks (Crim. & Abuse Neglect Registry)

California requires the following types of criminal background and perpetrator checks (Federal (F), State (S), Local (L), Abuse and Neglect Registry (ANR), Not Required (NR))

	Federal	State	Local	ANR	NR
Foster Care	y	y	y	y
Relative	y	y	y	y
Relative Foster Care	y	y	y	y
Adoption	y	y	y	y
Parent					y

Wait Time for Criminal Records Checks

Wait time for fingerprint results are:

Live Scan or other technology

State: 48-72 hours

Local/County: 48-72 hours

Manually - Fingerprint Card

State: Not Offered

Local/County: Not Offered

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):

Other: 60 days - Complete home study requests are, on average, processed within 60 days. This process may take longer based on delays resulting from criminal background checks that indicate a criminal history which requires obtaining and reviewing police and court records to process an exemption request, obtaining additional information from prospective caregiver, exceptions and waivers, need for corrections to foster family homes and/or additional information from sending state.

Verification of Criminal Records Results

Actual results/information contained in the Criminal Background
Other, specified next

Criminal background check response is received from the California Department of Justice.

Wait Time - (License/ Certification/ Approval - Education and Training)

Average Length of time it takes for a home to be licensed/approved/certified:

Other
3-6 Months : Complete applications for licensure and/or approval that do not have complications are processed within three to six months. This process may take longer based on delays resulting from criminal background checks, exceptions and waivers, and need for corrections to foster family homes.

Length of time a license is valid before renewal required:

Other
The approval of a Resource Family remains valid unless the family surrenders their approval or it is rescinded by the county. There are several times or reasons an update can be done, but it should occur at least once every 12 months. All counties are required to adhere to the Resource Family Approval Written Directives, which have the same force as regulations.

California offers classes (education and training) for placement resources' homes to become licensed/certified/approved:

Other: Availability varies by locality.