From first phone call to first placement usually takes three to six months in Georgia. Here's the whole path — the hours, the paperwork, the money — with no marketing gloss and no surprises.
Start with a free information session (DFCS still brands this "IMPACT Orientation") or call the state inquiry line. No commitment — this is where you find out whether fostering fits your life right now, and nobody will pressure you.
You can license directly with the state (DFCS) or through one of Georgia's ~100 private child-placing agencies. The support, expectations, and per diem handling differ more than anyone tells you. We wrote the neutral comparison nobody else publishes.
Georgia adopted the National Training and Development Curriculum in July 2024 — about 34 hours, part virtual and part in person. Many sites (including some official ones) still say "IMPACT"; that's the retired, shorter curriculum. We keep this page current so you know what you're signing up for.
Fingerprint background checks for every adult in the home, a medical exam, a drug screen, references, and financial information. Nothing here is a trick — it moves fastest when you start the fingerprints early.
A family assessment, not a white-glove inspection. Expect long conversations about your history and parenting, plus a safety walk-through: firearms locked separately from ammunition, medications locked, pools fenced, a bedroom for the child. Prepare with our checklist and it holds no surprises.
Once approved, placement calls can come any hour. You are always allowed to say no — a good match matters more than a fast yes. Keep our 20-question checklist by the phone.
Kinship caregivers: your path (and the money) is different — start here instead.
Georgia's baseline: you're at least 10 years older than the child (and at least 25 if you're single), with income that covers your own household and room in your home. Beyond that, most of the reasons people count themselves out aren't real.
Renters foster all the time. You need enough bedrooms, not a mortgage.
Single adults are approved every week in Georgia. Your support network matters more than your relationship status.
Children in DFCS custody are a priority group for the CAPS childcare subsidy — no waitlist.
Yes. Approval standards are about safety and stability, and agencies across Georgia license LGBTQ+ parents.
You need income that covers your own household without the per diem. It doesn't need to be large.
Depends on what and how long ago. Some offenses disqualify, many don't. Ask honestly at your info session — don't self-reject.
Georgia pays foster parents a daily per diem — a non-taxable reimbursement for the child's costs, paid about a month in arrears. It helps; it does not cover everything, and you will not profit. That's by design, and it's better to know now. Read the per diem guide with the actual numbers.
Georgia's foster and adoption inquiry line is staffed and free (8am–6pm Mon–Thu, 8am–5pm Fri). Or find an info session near you — there's one in every region most months.