Prospective Foster Parent – A person who wishes to become a Foster Parent through

Prospective Foster Parent – A person who wishes to become a Foster Parent through a Partner Provider must apply to that agency on the form specified by the Partner Provider Child-Placing Agency. MDCPS and the Partner Provider will conduct adequate screening of all prospective applicants in accordance with MDCPS Licensure Requirements found on the MDCPS website: www.mdcps.ms.gov. Partner Providers must submit a MACWIS Inquiry Data Sheet to the MDCPS Congregate Care Unit for all new hires, foster parents, interns and volunteers. If using MDCPS for the screening, then Partner Providers can submit the application for Livescan and background screening. Partner Provider employees and board members must be licensed by a different Partner Provider to serve as foster parents. Employees of MDCPS and Youth Court personnel can be licensed by a Partner Provider as a foster parent. The criteria are: 1. Employees cannot foster a child(ren) that is on their caseload. 2. Court personnel wanting to foster cannot be in the same court jurisdiction of the child(ren) that they will foster or the siblings to that child(ren). A special judge would need to be brought in to hear the case should a relative come into care that is in the same jurisdiction. 3. All employees/court personnel who are approved foster parents follow the same policies and procedures, regardless of their employment position. When the Partner Provider denies licensure of an applicant or closes a foster home, notice shall be sent to MDCPS within five (5) business days.