FOSTER CARE Law changes caregiver requirements

COLUMBUS -- Foster caregiver training requirements have been revamped and the number of criminal offenses that would disqualify a person as a caregiver have been boosted, under a bill Gov. Bob Taft recently signed into law.
Under the new law, a foster caregiver has to complete at least 24 hours of preplacement training to be eligible for an initial family foster home certificate.
Current law requires at least 12 hours before certification and at least 12 hours before kids are placed in the home.
The new law, which becomes effective 90 days from its filing with the secretary of state's office, also requires continued training for foster caregivers be completed over a two-year period rather than annually.
It requires authorities who conduct a criminal background check on potential caregivers to determine whether a potential foster caregiver has been convicted of arson or aggravated arson.
People who are convicted or plead guilty to arson or aggravated arson, both felonies, as well as other crimes such as homicides, assaults, certain sex offenses, and certain theft offenses, are generally precluded from becoming an adoptive parent or becoming responsible for a child in out-of-home care, under the law.