How to Apply to Become a Foster Parent in the Philippines

Foster care in the Philippines is meant to be temporary, planned substitute parental care for a child who cannot, for the time being, live with their own family — not a shortcut to adoption, and not an informal arrangement between relatives or neighbors. It is governed by the Foster Care Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10165), which puts the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with its licensed child-placing agencies, in charge of screening, training, and licensing anyone who wants to take in a foster child.

Who Can Apply to Be a Foster Parent

The law sets out qualifications that a prospective foster parent has to meet before a Home Study Report can even be favorable. In general, an applicant must:

• Be of legal age and at least sixteen years older than the child, unless the applicant is a relative of the child;
• Be of good moral character, and physically and mentally capable and emotionally mature;
• Have a genuine interest, capacity, and commitment to parenting, and be able to provide a familial atmosphere for the child;
• Maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with every other family member living in the household;
• Have sufficient resources to provide for the family’s needs, including the additional needs of a foster child; and
• Be willing to be trained on the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed for foster caregiving.

There is also a limit on how many foster children a single household may care for at a time, set through DSWD implementing rules rather than a fixed number in the law itself. Where a suitable relative of the child is available and qualifies, the law directs that relatives be given priority over non-relatives.

Step-by-Step: The Application Process

While exact paperwork can vary slightly depending on whether you apply directly through a DSWD field office or through an accredited child-placing agency, the process generally follows these stages:

• Step 1 — Submit an application. Prospective foster parents apply with the DSWD field office that has jurisdiction over their residence, or with a DSWD-licensed child-placing agency operating in their area.
• Step 2 — Orientation and initial screening. Applicants are typically walked through what foster care involves, the temporary nature of the arrangement, and the responsibilities expected of them, before the formal assessment begins.
• Step 3 — The Home Study Report. A social worker conducts planned home visits and interviews with the applicant and household members to assess character, motivation, financial stability, and the general home environment. This report is the foundation of the entire application.
• Step 4 — Required training. Applicants are expected to undergo orientation or training designed to prepare them for the realities of caring for a foster child, including children who may come with trauma, medical needs, or behavioral challenges.
• Step 5 — Issuance of the Foster Family Care License. Based on the Home Study Report, the DSWD issues a Foster Family Care License to qualified applicants. This license is renewable every three years unless earlier revoked by the DSWD.
• Step 6 — Matching. Only after both a child case study (assessing the specific child’s needs) and the home study (assessing the foster family’s capacity) have been completed does the DSWD or agency proceed to match a particular child with a particular licensed foster family.
• Step 7 — Placement and ongoing supervision. Once a child is placed, a social worker continues to monitor the arrangement through follow-up visits to check on the child’s welfare and the family’s adjustment.

What Foster Parents Are Responsible For

Once a child is placed, foster parents take on the rights, duties, and liabilities of a person exercising substitute parental authority, in the same manner the Family Code provides for those exercising such authority over a child. This means day-to-day decisions about the child’s care, discipline, and upbringing rest with the foster parent while the placement lasts, subject to DSWD supervision and to whatever conditions attach to the specific placement.

Financial Support Available to Foster Families

Fostering a child is not meant to be entirely self-funded. Through the licensed agency handling the placement, a foster child is entitled to a monthly subsidy from the DSWD intended to help offset the costs of caring for the child. Foster families should raise the specifics of this subsidy, and any additional support tied to a particular child’s needs, directly with the DSWD office or agency handling their case, since implementation details are set through administrative issuances rather than the law itself.

How Long Foster Care Can Last

Foster care is deliberately described in the law as planned and temporary. It is not meant to be indefinite by default. Where a foster parent has cared for the same child for an extended period — the law contemplates seven years — the foster parent may request authority for a longer-term placement, and the DSWD is required to periodically reassess the arrangement, generally every three years, to determine whether continued placement in that home remains in the child’s best interest. In appropriate cases, a long-standing foster placement can eventually lead toward adoption, though adoption itself is a separate legal process with its own requirements.

When a Placement Can Be Terminated

Because the child’s welfare is the DSWD’s central concern, a foster placement can be ended before its planned term if it turns out to be harmful to the child — for example, in cases involving abandonment, maltreatment, sexual assault, violence, or other forms of abuse within the foster home. Foster parents should understand from the outset that the arrangement is conditional on the child’s continued welfare, not a guaranteed, permanent claim to the child.

Penalties Under the Law

The Foster Care Act also carries its own penal provisions for violations of the law and its implementing rules. Licensed child-placing agencies that violate the law can face substantial fines or have their license revoked, while individuals who violate the law’s provisions — for instance, by circumventing the licensing and matching process — can face fines or imprisonment. Anyone unsure whether a particular informal child-care arrangement crosses into territory the law regulates should raise the specific facts with the DSWD or with counsel before proceeding, rather than assume an arrangement outside the formal process is safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a single person become a foster parent in the Philippines? Yes; the law does not require foster parents to be married, though the DSWD or licensed agency will still assess the applicant’s stability, support system, and capacity to care for a child during the home study.

Is foster care the same as adoption? No; foster care is meant to be a planned, temporary arrangement while a permanent solution for the child is worked out, while adoption is a separate legal process that permanently makes the child part of the adoptive family.

How long is a Foster Family Care License valid? It is renewable every three years unless earlier revoked by the DSWD, so foster parents need to continue meeting the qualifications and go through periodic review to keep fostering.

Do foster parents receive any government support? Yes; through the licensed agency handling the placement, a foster child is entitled to a monthly subsidy from the DSWD meant to help offset the costs of the child’s care.

This commentary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, please consult a licensed attorney.

Foster care asks a family to open its home to a child on the understanding that the arrangement is temporary and closely supervised — the licensing process exists precisely to make sure that trust is well placed.