What the home study actually asks.

What it actually is

Georgia's official name for the home study is the Initial Family Evaluation, and its shape is set by policy, not by the evaluator's mood: you'll have at least three in-home consultations — real sit-down conversations, usually spaced about a week to ten days apart. Jul 2, 2026

Every evaluation in Georgia follows the same framework: the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) model. Policy is explicit that "all components of the evaluation must follow the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) model" — which means the questions are standardized, not improvised, and every family in the state is assessed against the same structure. Jul 2, 2026

The person across the table is a SAFE-certified evaluator — DFCS staff if you're licensing with the state, your agency's staff if you're with a private child-placing agency, or an approved contractor — working under a SAFE-certified supervisor, with the final sign-off from a SAFE-certified county or agency director. Jul 2, 2026

Here's the reframe that matters: the evaluator's job is not to catch you. It's to build an accurate written picture of your family so placements can be matched well. A home study that really knows you protects you and the child from a bad match.

What they ask about

Because Georgia uses SAFE, the topic list isn't a mystery. The model works through 70 psychosocial factors organized into nine sections: Jul 2, 2026

In plain English, expect long conversations about: how you were parented and how that shaped you; how you handle conflict and discipline; why you want to foster — and whether your expectations are realistic; who lives in your home and how they feel about a placement; and who takes the 2 a.m. call with you. Your own kids will be part of the conversation too — how a placement affects them is a question agencies take seriously.

The state also says out loud what it's looking for: "maturity and stability," and caregivers who can "act as a positive role model, parent, mentor, and supporter" while supporting reunification with the child's family. Jul 2, 2026 That last part is worth sitting with — wanting to support a child's family, not replace it, is part of what's being assessed.

The home walk-through

Yes, someone will walk through your house. No, they are not grading your decor, your square footage, or the age of your couch. The inspection is safety-oriented: policy requires evaluators to use a standardized safety checklist, assess the physical environment, and document specifics like pool and spa water safety and well/septic maintenance where they apply. Jul 2, 2026 A tidy-enough, safe-enough home passes; a showpiece isn't required.

What you need is room for the child and a home without open hazards. Renters pass this every week — see "Can I foster if I rent?".

Your past, honestly

This is the section people lose sleep over, so let's be direct. The evaluation will touch your history — SAFE's sections include your personal history and health, and the paperwork alongside it includes fingerprint background checks for every adult in the home, a medical exam, a drug screen for the primary and secondary parent, and proof of residence and financial stability. Jul 2, 2026

Past therapy or counseling is not a disqualifier to hide — evaluators generally read having sought help as insight, not instability. Old financial trouble, a rough divorce, a complicated childhood: these come up in thousands of approved home studies. What the process cannot work with is discovering something you chose not to mention, because the study's whole value rests on being accurate.

So the rule is simple: disclose, don't self-reject. The same rule applies to old records — some things disqualify, many don't, and the person with the actual list should be the one to tell you which is which. Our eligibility FAQ covers this in detail: "Can I foster if I have a past record?"

This page summarizes policy in plain language and is not legal advice. If something in your history worries you, raise it at the info session — before the home study, not during it.

Timeline, and what comes after

The evaluation must be "completed no later than eight weeks after the applicant completes all pre-service activities" — so once training and paperwork are done, there's a clock on the state's side too, not just yours. Jul 2, 2026 With visits spaced roughly a week to ten days apart, the conversation series itself typically spans about a month.

Alongside the visits you'll submit the Prospective Caregiver Application, the Live Scan (fingerprinting) form, and the requested verification documents. When everything is complete, "applicants will receive a letter from the county notifying them of the final approval decision." Jul 2, 2026

Then the phone can ring — see the placement call checklist, and the whole path in context on the six steps.

The kinship variant

If a relative's child is already with you (or about to be), your evaluation runs on a different track: the Kinship Foster Home Evaluation under DFCS policy 22.4. It uses the same SAFE-model home study, but it's completed after the child is placed — due within 120 days of the kinship placement — and some non-safety approval standards can be waived case by case (safety standards never are). Jul 2, 2026

The kinship path, including the waiver rules and the money, is different enough to have its own guide: start with the kinship page.

Sources & verification

• DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §14.10 — Initial Family Evaluation: SAFE model, evaluator certification, visit spacing, safety inspectionpamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
• fostergeorgia.com — steps to approval: ≥3 home consultations, 8-week completion, required forms, county approval letterfostergeorgia.com Jul 2, 2026
• fostergeorgia.com — general information: medical exam, screenings, financial-stability documentation, caregiver qualitiesfostergeorgia.com Jul 2, 2026
• DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §22.4 — Kinship Foster Home Evaluation (SAFE model; 120-day deadline); waivers detailed in §22.6pamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026

Policy details can change between our verification dates. If today is well past the dates above, confirm specifics with your case manager or agency before relying on them.