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Kentucky · Snapshot 09/05/2026

KRS 199.462: Criminal background investigation of applicant to provide foster care,

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. KRS Chapter 199

relative caregiver services, fictive kin placement, or adoptive home, and of

applicant's adult household members -- Request for conviction information --

Form and fee for request -- Disapproval of placement on sole basis of disability

of prospective caregiver prohibited -- Background investigation at annual

reevaluation authorized -- Rap back system -- Prohibited approvals --

Administrative regulation.

(1) Before an applicant is approved to provide foster care or relative caregiver services

to a child, to be considered a fictive kin placement for a child, or to receive a child

for adoption, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall:

(a) Require a criminal backgrou nd investigation of the applicant and any of the

applicant's adult household members by means of a fingerprint check by the

Department of Kentucky State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

or

(b) Request from the Justice and Public Safety Cabin et records of all conviction

information for the applicant and any of the applicant's adult household

members. The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet shall furnish the information

to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and shall also send a copy of

the information to the applicant.

(2) The request for records shall be in a manner approved by the Justice and Public

Safety Cabinet, and the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet may charge a fee to be

paid by the applicant for the actual cost of processing the request.

(3) The Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall not disapprove of any placement

or custody arrangement, including but not limited to foster care, relative caregiver

services, fictive kin placement, temporary custody, permanent custody, or a doption

on the sole basis of a disability of the prospective caregiver without considering

whether targeted adaptive or supportive services could enable the prospective

caregiver to provide essential care and protection for the child.

(4) During a certifie d adoptive or foster home's annual reevaluation, the Cabinet for

Health and Family Services may:

(a) Require a background investigation for each adult household member of the

certified adoptive or foster home under subsections (1) and (2) of this section;

or

(b) Register each adult household member of a certified adoptive or foster home

under subsections (1) and (2) of this section in the rap back system.

(5) If a child is placed and resides in a fictive kin home for more than seventy -two (72)

hours, the Ca binet for Health and Family Services shall take action, including but

not limited to the following:

(a) Provide information on how to recognize and report child abuse or neglect;

and

(b) Ensure that, within the first five (5) days of a child under the age of five (5)

years old being placed in a fictive kin home, the fictive kin has completed a

one (1) time training course of one and one -half (1.5) hours of training

covering the prevention and recognition of pediatric abusive head trauma, as

defined in KRS 620.020.

(6) The Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall not approve an individual to

provide foster care or relative caregiver services to a child, to be considered a

fictive kin placement for a child, or to receive a child for adoption if the individual:

(a) Is a registrant as defined in KRS 17.500;

(b) Has an adult living in the individual's home who is a registrant as defined in

KRS 17.500; or

(c) Has a minor child living in the in dividual's home who is a registrant as

defined in KRS 17.500 or who has been declared a juvenile sex offender

under KRS 635.510.

(7) The Cabinet for Health and Family Services shall promulgate an administrative

regulation in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A to implement this section.

Collected 2026-09-05T20:51:53Z. Source file · JSON

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