Question 1

What is CARF Foster Family and Kinship Care accreditation?

Accepted Answer

CARF Foster Family and Kinship Care accreditation is a three-year quality credential for programs providing placement, training, and support services for foster families and kinship caregivers. CARF evaluates these programs against General Standards and Child and Youth Services Foster Family and Kinship Care program standards, with emphasis on caregiver recruitment and selection, competency-based training, support services, placement stability, and permanency planning.

Question 2

How does CARF differentiate between foster family and kinship care requirements?

Accepted Answer

CARF's current standards acknowledge that kinship caregivers — relatives or close family friends — may not be able to meet all traditional foster family training requirements on the same timeline. Programs must document a kinship-specific support and training approach that accounts for the kinship caregiver's pre-existing relationship with the child, family dynamics, and potential eligibility barriers. Applying identical foster family requirements to kinship placements without a documented kinship-specific approach is a finding.

Question 3

What training documentation does CARF require for foster families?

Accepted Answer

CARF requires competency-based pre-service training documentation for foster families — not just attendance records. Required training domains typically include trauma-informed care, child development, crisis de-escalation, medication management (where applicable), mandatory reporting, and the specific needs of the populations being placed. Ongoing training is required for active foster families. Documentation must demonstrate that competencies were assessed, not just that training was attended.

Question 4

What does CARF require in home study documentation?

Accepted Answer

CARF reviews home study documentation for evidence of a structured assessment of the family's capacity to meet the needs of children in placement. Required elements typically include: background checks for all household members; financial stability assessment; physical environment evaluation; caregiver motivation and parenting history; assessment of family strengths and potential challenges; and documentation of references and prior child welfare involvement. Home studies that are incomplete or that do not document the basis for approval decisions are a source of findings.

Question 5

What does CARF require for placement stability measurement?

Accepted Answer

CARF requires programs to collect placement stability data — specifically, placement disruption rates — and use that data in a documented performance improvement process. Programs must define what constitutes a placement disruption, track disruptions systematically, analyze root causes when disruptions occur, and demonstrate that the analysis informs training and support improvements. Programs that track disruptions informally without a data system or QI infrastructure are at risk for findings.

Question 6

What permanency planning requirements does CARF have for foster and kinship programs?

Accepted Answer

CARF requires that each child in foster or kinship placement have an active, documented permanency goal — reunification, adoption, guardianship, or another planned permanent living arrangement — with documented progress toward that goal at each case review. Programs must demonstrate active collaboration with child welfare agencies on permanency milestones. Permanency planning that exists only as a goal statement without documented progress is a finding.

Question 7

What case management documentation does CARF require for foster and kinship programs?

Accepted Answer

CARF evaluates case management documentation for: regular caregiver contact records reflecting individualized support (not templated notes); service plan development and review at required intervals; documentation of contacts with the child's school, medical providers, and other service systems; family contact documentation for youth where family contact is appropriate; and documentation of placement matching decisions. Case management records that are templated, sparse, or that do not reflect individualized engagement are sources of findings.

Question 8

How much does CARF Foster Family and Kinship Care accreditation cost?

Accepted Answer

CARF direct fees: $995 non-refundable application fee plus $1,525 per surveyor per day. Published by CARF in the annual fee schedule (carf.org). Verify current fees with CARF directly. IHS consulting fees are scoped per engagement based on organizational size, complexity, and accreditation history.

Question 9

What are the most common CARF deficiencies in foster family and kinship care surveys?

Accepted Answer

The five most common deficiency areas: (1) Caregiver training documentation — attendance records without competency assessment; (2) Kinship-specific support approach — applying identical foster family requirements without a documented kinship-specific protocol; (3) Placement stability data system — informal tracking without systematic data collection; (4) Case management documentation — templated notes without individualized content; (5) Permanency planning — goal statements without documented progress.

Question 10

What rights do children in foster and kinship placements have under CARF standards?

Accepted Answer

Under CARF standards, children in foster and kinship placements retain full rights: the right to dignity and respect; the right to confidentiality; the right to make complaints without retaliation; the right to contact outside advocates; the right to participate in their service planning at developmentally appropriate levels; and the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Programs must document rights notification at placement and have accessible grievance procedures.

Question 11

What supervision does CARF require for foster and kinship caregivers?

Accepted Answer

CARF requires programs to have written supervision and support policies specifying the frequency, format, and content of caregiver supervision contacts. Regular home visits must be documented. Supervision records must reflect substantive engagement — not just visit confirmation. CARF evaluates whether supervision identifies and addresses caregiver support needs before they escalate to placement disruption.

Question 12

How does CARF evaluate the placement matching process?

Accepted Answer

CARF reviews placement matching documentation for evidence that placements are made based on the child's specific needs and the caregiver's documented capacity to meet those needs. Programs must demonstrate that matching decisions are documented, individualized, and based on an assessment of caregiver strengths and the child's presenting needs — not solely on bed availability. Emergency placements must document the basis for the emergency and any follow-up assessment of matching appropriateness.

Question 13

What does CARF require for foster family and kinship program performance improvement?

Accepted Answer

CARF requires a documented QI process using outcome data — placement stability rates, permanency achievement rates, caregiver satisfaction, and child and family satisfaction — reviewed at organizational leadership level and used to drive program improvements. QI documentation must demonstrate the full improvement cycle: data collection, analysis, improvement initiative, and evaluation of whether the initiative produced the intended result.

Question 14

Can CARF Foster Family and Kinship Care be accredited alongside other child and youth programs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CARF's modular architecture allows foster and kinship programs to be accredited alongside Treatment Foster Care, group home, or other child and youth services in a single survey — more cost-efficient than separate surveys. IHS supports multi-program survey preparation for organizations accrediting a full child and youth services continuum.

Question 15

How does IHS prepare foster family and kinship programs for CARF accreditation?

Accepted Answer

IHS provides: gap assessment against all applicable standards; caregiver training curriculum and competency assessment design; kinship-specific support protocol development; home study template review; placement stability tracking systems; permanency planning documentation frameworks; case management record audits; mock survey with written findings; and application review by Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD. Engagements are scoped per client.

CARF Foster Family and Kinship Care Accreditation — Frequently Asked Questions