If the child’s caregiver is a foster family, the ICPC placement request packet must include a copy of either of the following, verifying the family as a foster family in Texas:

  •   a license issued by a child-placing agency (CPA) in Texas; or

  •   a certificate issued by DFPS (Form 2909Word Document Foster Only Certificate or Form 2912Word Document Foster Adoptive Home Certificate, Dual-Licensed).

If the foster parent is licensed or verified, the caseworker must follow 4513.4 Placing a Child With a Foster Family Outside of Texas.

Effective Period of Texas Licensure

The foster family’s Texas license or verification remains in effect for up to 90 days while the family applies for a license in the other state. A DFPS program administrator (PA) can extend the family’s Texas licensure for 60 additional days, if it is clear that the family will be licensed in the other state during the extension.

Other states generally accept a family’s Texas licensure or verification, as long as the license or verification remains in effect.

If the caregiver’s application for a foster care license in the other state is denied, the caseworker must have the child returned to a placement in Texas within 5 business days.