Articles Become a Foster Parent in Alabama

Written by: Adoption.com Staff | Published on: January 30, 2026

Become a Foster Parent in Alabama

With roughly 6,000 children in Alabama’s foster care system today, the demand for stable, caring homes and qualified foster parents far exceeds the supply. There’s no better way to make a positive impact in the life of a child than becoming a foster parent, and there’s no better time to become a foster parent in Alabama than right now.

Fostering a child requires a substantial commitment of time and energy. However, this guide covers everything you need to know about becoming a licensed foster parent in Alabama, from start to finish. We’ll break the process down step by step, so you can feel confident and knowledgeable about making the decision to help local children.

The Need for Foster Homes in Alabama

The Alabama Department of Human Resources relies on foster parents to help kids thrive as their biological families work toward reunification. There are hundreds of children throughout Alabama who need temporary foster homes, and a percentage of these are waiting to be adopted from foster care.

Many kids who enter foster care have special needs that can make it difficult for them to find placements. These include:

Medically complex children
Kids with physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral challenges and disabilities
Teenagers and older children
Sibling groups who must be placed in the same home together
All kinds of children who come from at-risk backgrounds

Foster parents who can rise to the challenge of caring for kids with special needs are in high demand across Alabama. For some of these children, a loving foster home may be the only source of stability and strength they’ve ever known. That’s why foster parents play such an important role in supporting healthy children and families throughout the state.

Foster Parent Requirements in Alabama

Like all states, Alabama has certain basic requirements for foster parents, which we have outlined below.

Age: Foster parents must be at least 19 years old, which is the legal age of adulthood in Alabama.
Residency: You may rent or own a house, apartment, mobile home, or unit. However, you must be an Alabama resident.
Marital Status: A person who is married or single may become a foster parent in Alabama, but an unmarried couple living together may not. Married couples must both be approved and licensed to foster children. Separated individuals may be eligible if they have lived apart from their spouse for more than one year. LGBTQ+ people are welcome to apply.
Financial Stability: You must have sufficient income to meet your own family’s needs before receiving a foster care stipend. Along with the application to become a foster parent, you should complete a financial statement detailing your income, assets, and estimated monthly expenses. The Department of Human Resources will further confirm your financial stability when you complete a home study.
Health: All members of your household must provide documentation that they are in good physical and mental health. Everyone in your home, including children, must be up to date on their vaccinations. If you or a family member has a physical or psychological problem that could impact a child in your care, you or they may be required to seek treatment before you are approved to foster.
Background Checks: All adults in the home must pass state and federal criminal background checks, including a child abuse and neglect registry check. You must provide two sets of fingerprints.
Home Environment: Your home must pass a safety inspection and have adequate space for a child. The living area must be clean, and any pets in the home must be up to date on their vaccinations.
Training: You must complete the state-mandated, 30-hour foster parent training program, and undergo 15 hours of additional training each year after you are approved to foster. You should also earn and maintain a current CPR certification.

How to Become a Foster Parent in Alabama: The Step-by-Step Process

1. Complete and Submit the Inquiry Form

The state’s Department of Human Resources website provides an inquiry form for individuals who would like to know how to foster in Alabama. The form asks for basic personal and family information, as well as any history you may have with foster care and the type of children you are interested in fostering.

2. Attend an Informational Meeting

After receiving your inquiry form, the Department of Human Resources will contact you with dates and times of upcoming information sessions. These sessions explain the process of becoming a foster parent in detail, including how to apply, what training is like, and what you can expect during a home study.

3. Complete the Application

After attending the informational meeting, you may formally apply to become a foster parent in Alabama.

4. Participate in Pre-Service Training

Once your application is approved, you may begin the 30-hour mandatory pre-service training program. Alabama uses a MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) curriculum. The MAPP program imparts trauma-informed child care skills while helping prospective foster parents decide if fostering is right for them. Along with basic child development and behavior management topics, the MAPP curriculum addresses topics such as:

Attachment and separation dynamics
Grief and loss
Identifying children’s strengths and needs
Cultural differences
How to administer medication

5. Complete the Home Study

During the home study, a social worker visits your residence to inspect the home, get to know you and your family, and understand your goals, personality, and interests. The social worker will develop a Family Portfolio that contains your family’s profile, a list of strengths and needs, a professional development plan, and household members’ medical records. The Family Portfolio also contains written documentation of the social worker’s final decision—whether or not you are approved to provide foster care.

6. Receive Your License

Following approval, you become an officially licensed foster parent. The license is good for one year, after which you must seek renewal to continue fostering children.

Financial Support: The Alabama Foster Care Stipend

Like every state, Alabama provides parents with monthly, non-taxable foster care payments. While the State does not pay foster parents a salary, it does offer a stipend to partially reimburse parents for some expenses associated with child care, like food, clothing, and transportation.

As is the case with other states, Alabama awards foster care stipends according to age, with parents of older kids and teenagers receiving more than those who foster young children. This is due to the fact that teens and older children have greater nutritional needs and more school-related expenses, such as extracurricular activities and sports team fees.

The maximum monthly foster care payments in Alabama are as follows:

Ages 0-5: $528 per month
Ages 6-12: $557 per month
Ages 13+: $571 per month

However, parents who are fostering children with special needs or medically complex children may receive additional funds to cover the additional costs.

Medicaid is also available for kids in foster care. Alabama Medicaid provides foster children with free medical and dental coverage. This means that foster kids automatically qualify for a host of services, including physical and behavioral therapies, hospital care, laboratory procedures, and home-based services for kids with autism spectrum disorder.

Adopting from Foster Care in Alabama

The goal of foster care is to reunite children with their biological families. However, reunification isn’t always possible, and kids who are unable to return to their biological families become eligible for adoption.

Right now, there are more than 200 foster children in Alabama who are waiting for loving families and permanent homes. Many of these children have special needs. This means that they have physical, mental, or behavioral difficulties. In Alabama, foster kids are also considered to have special needs if they are over five, part of a sibling group of two or more, or come from an at-risk family background.

Alabama requires prospective parents to complete a home study and undergo a 30-hour training program before they adopt. However, the state waives the home study fee for individuals who adopt from foster care. Parents who foster-to-adopt are also eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of an adoption subsidy. This monthly subsidy helps cover the costs associated with caring for a child.

For more details, see our guide to Adoption in Alabama.

Get Started: Alabama Foster Care Resources

Ready to get started? If you’re ready to take the next step in becoming a foster parent, Alabama’s Department of Human Resources can help you put your plan into action.

Official State Agency: Alabama Department of Human Resources
Website: https://dhr.alabama.gov/foster-care/
Phone Number: (334) 242-1310 (general information)
Contacts By County: https://dhr.alabama.gov/county-office-contact/

Or contact another organization dedicated to AL foster care and adoption, such as:

Families 4 Alabama’s Kids: Families4ALKids@dhr.alabama.gov
Alabama Foster & Adoptive Parent Association: https://afapa.org/
Children’s Aid Society of Alabama: https://childrensaid.org/

Find a Local Licensing Agency or County Office Near You

Sources

Accessed on October 23, 2025. https://dhr.alabama.gov/foster-care/
Accessed on October 23, 2025. https://www.cwla.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Alabama-Fact-Sheet-2022.pdf
Accessed on October 28, 2025. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/foster-care-stipend-by-state
Accessed on October 28, 2025. https://medicaid.alabama.gov/
Accessed on October 28, 2025. https://dhr.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Minimum-Standards-for-Foster-Family-Homes.pdf