ICPC State Pages

New York Home Studies (Adoption/Foster Care/Kinship/Parent/Relative)

Types of Home Studies

New York conducts the following types of home studies:

• Relative Care
• Foster Care
• Relative-Foster Care
• Foster- Adopt
• Adoption

New York designates staff in each county/region to conduct home studies and/or process interstate placements:

• Yes

New York considers a home study as current/valid for:

• Public: 1 year
• Private: 2 years

Private Contract Services - Home Study

As the Sending State, New York will pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Yes

As the Receiving State, New York will permit a Sending state to pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Yes

As the Receiving State, New York will accept/update a home study that was not originally conducted by the receiving state or a private contractor acting on behalf of the Receiving State:

• Will not Update or Accept

Adoptive Home Study

Home study for adoption conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Prospective adoptive parents permitted to pay for a pre-adoptive home study:

• Private Adoptions: Yes

DCPS contracts for Purchase of Services with private agencies in other states:

• No

Foster Care Home Study

Home study for foster care conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Parent Home Study

If child has been removed from the parent, New York requires a home study evaluation before reunification:

• NYS is not authorized to process incoming or outgoing parent home study requests via the ICPC.

Non-Custodial Parents: Placements with non-custodial parents are not covered under the ICPC if:

• NYS is not authorized to process incoming or outgoing parent home study requests via the ICPC.

Proof of Paternity is required:

• No

Relative/Kinship Home Study

Home study for relatives conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Define Relative:

• A relative is a birth or adoptive brother, sister, stepparent, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, niece, nephew, as well as relatives of half blood or marriage and those denoted by the prefixes of grand and great including grand parent or great grandparent, or as defined in our state statute for the purpose of foster and or adoptive placements, and must be related within the third degree by blood or marriage to the child's parent or stepparent.

Relatives must be licensed:

• No

Proof of Paternity is required:

• No

New York 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.):

• 1st Degree (mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter)
• 2nd Degree (grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin)
• 3rd Degree (great grandmother, great grandfather, great aunt, great uncle, grand-niece, grand nephew, second cousin)

Regulation 7 Priority Placement

New York performs priority placements:

• Yes

A court ordered Priority 7 conducted if the child is in a DCF shelter or foster home for substantial period of time.

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Public

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

• 90 days

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

• 60 days

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Private

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):

• 30 days

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

• 90 days

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

• Other

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

Criminal Record Checks

New York requires criminal background checks for the following home studies:

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

In addition to the applicant to be certified or approved as a foster or adoptive parent, all other adult household members or persons over the age of 18, residing in the home of such applicant must be checked.

************NOTE: In accordance with NYS Social Services Laws 424-a CPS background & 378-a Criminal Histories will NOT be conducted as a part of an unlicensed relative ICPC request in NYS. Fingerprint checks for criminal histories & Child Abuse histories are ONLY permitted/authorized & conducted for foster care & adoption requests. *****************

Type of Checks (Crim. & Abuse Neglect Registry)

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

Wait Time for Criminal Records Results

Wait time for fingerprint results are:

Live Scan or other technology

• State: 48-72 hours
• Local/County: Not Offered

Manually - Fingerprint Card

• State: 4-7 days
• Local/County: Not Offered