The Department of Children and Family Services is revamping foster caregiver training and certification by launching HomeReady. Secretary Rebecca Harris says with more than 7,000 children in foster care, the state needed an easier, more modern way for prospective foster parents to get certified.
“HomeReady is born from what we have heard from citizens and caregivers across the state. It was too difficult for them to step in and help children,” Harris noted.
Harris says the biggest change with HomeReady is that everything is now done online.
“No longer will someone have to worry about where to send paperwork or if the paperwork got lost or how to find training. Everything will be in one spot,” Harris explained.
Families can use either a computer or a mobile device to complete their forms, upload their documents and track their progress. Harris says by moving everything online, it simplifies the process and creates much less paperwork.
“The end goal of HomeReady is to make it easy for people in Louisiana to become a caregiver and easy for us to find the perfect match for a child that may need a temporary home,” Harris said.
The official press release from DCFS is as follows:
HomeReady gives prospective caregivers a single, user-friendly system to complete applications, access required training, upload documents, and track their progress. By improving these early steps in the caregiver journey, HomeReady helps ensure that children entering foster care can be connected to the best, safe, stable home for them without unnecessary delays. The platform also supports DCFS staff by reducing paperwork and simplifying the information needed to verify and guide families, allowing workers to stay focused on supporting caregivers.
HomeReady Key Features
HomeReady helps families complete caregiver applications entirely online through the caregiver portal. The platform allows families to:
• Complete forms using a computer or mobile device
• Upload required documents by taking a photo with their phone and attaching it to their
application
• Access and update their requirements
• Track their progress on any device at any time
“HomeReady strengthens child safety by giving prospective kinship and foster families a clearer path to certification and giving our staff better tools to support them. Our focus is simple: every child deserves a safe, stable home. HomeReady helps us bring more families forward and ensures children can be connected to the right home as quickly as possible,” said Rebecca Harris, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
HomeReady supports A Home for Every Child, an Administration for Children and Families (ACF) initiative designed to expand family‑based care and increase the number of certified foster homes. Central to this mission is achieving a one‑to‑one ratio of foster children to certified foster homes for children in need of care, so that every child can be matched with a family prepared to meet their needs. By making the certification process more accessible and transparent, HomeReady is a key step toward building a strong baseline of certified foster homes required to reach that goal.
The HomeReady platform is powered by technology provided by Binti, a national child welfare software company that supports agencies in streamlining caregiver certification and reducing administrative burden.
HomeReady is a key program as DCFS expands the support available to kinship and foster families. Together with initiatives across the child welfare system, HomeReady reflects Louisiana’s commitment to ensuring children can grow up in safe homes with families ready to care for them.
The online platform officially launches Wednesday morning, October 7, at https://dcfs.louisiana.gov/foster-or-adopt-next-steps.