(ii) inform persons who express an interest in becoming foster parents or who apply to become certified or approved foster parents, that as part of the application process the agency must inquire of the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs whether any person who applies for certification or approval as a foster parent and whether any person over the age of 18 who resides in the home of the applicant is listed on the register of substantiated category one cases of abuse or neglect maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.

(i) an initial application for certification or a letter of approval as a foster parent has been received;

(ii) an application for certification or approval as foster parents has expired because it has been pending for six months or more;

(iii) a previously certified or approved foster home that was closed is to be reopened; or

(iv) a new adult spouse of a foster parent has come into the home and has applied for certification or approval as a foster parent;

(i) the applicant has the right, pursuant to section 424-a of the Social Services Law, to request a hearing before the Office of Children and Family Services regarding the record maintained by the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment;

(ii) a request for such a hearing must be made within 60 days of the receipt of the notice of denial indicating that the denial was based in whole or in part on the existence of the indicated report; and

(iii) the sole issue at any such hearing will be whether the applicant has been shown by a fair preponderance of the evidence to have committed the act or acts of child abuse or maltreatment giving rise to the indicated report;

(i) age;

(ii) health;

(iii) physical functioning;

(iv) income;

(v) marital status;

(vi) employment of the applicants;

(vii) information regarding the physical facilities of the prospective foster home;

(viii) the names of those persons who will be sharing living accommodations with the child in foster care, including the names of persons 18 years of age or older living in the home;

(ix) whether any other application for certification or approval has ever been made, whether such application was accepted or rejected and, if rejected, the reasons therefor;

(i) a statement or summary of the applicant's employment history, including but not limited to any relevant child-caring experience;

(ii) names, addresses and, where applicable, telephone numbers of references who can verify the applicant's employment history, work record and qualifications;

(iii) names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least three personal references, other than relatives, who can attest to the applicant's character, habits, reputation and personal qualifications and which must be verified in accordance with this section;

(iv) a sworn statement by the applicant indicating whether, to the best of the applicant's knowledge, the applicant or any other person over the age of 18 currently residing in the home has ever been convicted of a crime in New York State or any other jurisdiction. If an applicant discloses in the sworn statement that he/she or any other person over the age of 18 currently residing in the home has been convicted of a crime, the agency must determine, in accordance with guidelines developed and disseminated by the Office of Children and Family Services to the extent consistent with section 443.8 of this Part, whether to approve such applicant. If the agency determines that it will approve the applicant to receive a foster care placement, the agency must maintain a written record, as part of the application and home study file of such applicant, of the reason(s) why the applicant was determined to be appropriate and acceptable to be certified or approved as afoster parent; and

(v) completed fingerprint cards for the applicant(s) and each person over the age of 18 currently residing in the home of such applicant(s). The authorized agency must promptly submit such fingerprint cards to the Office of Children and Family Services for forwarding to the Division of Criminal Justice Services to perform a criminal history record check by the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The authorized agency must use the information obtained through the criminal history record check(s) in accordance with section 443.8 of this Part;

(i) Age. Each foster parent must be over the age of 21.

(ii) Health. Each member of the household of the foster family must be in good physical and mental health and free from communicable diseases. However, physical handicaps or illness of foster parents or members of their household must be a consideration only as they affect the ability to provide adequate care to foster children or may affect an individual child's adjustment to the foster family. Cases must be evaluated on an individual basis with assistance of a medical consultant when indicated. A written report from a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or other licensed and qualified health care practitioner as appropriate, on the health of a family, including a complete physical examination of the applicant, must be filed with the agency initially and biennially thereafter. Additional medical reports must be furnished upon the request of either the agency worker or the foster parent. Such reports must conform to the standards set forth in this Part.

(iii) Employment. Employment of a foster parent outside the home must be permitted when there are suitable plans for the care and supervision of the child at all times, including after school and during the summer. Such plans must be made part of the foster family record and must receive prior agency approval, unless only one of the two foster parents is working outside the home.

(iv) Marital status. The marital status of an applicant may be a factor in determining whether or not a certification or approval will be granted only as it affects the ability to provide adequate care to foster children. Changes in marital status of certificate and letter of approval holders must be reported to the authorized agency and existing certificates or letters of approval may be revoked and new certificates or letters of approval issued consistent with the best interests of the child.

(v) Character. Each applicant for certification or approval must be required to provide the agency with the names of three persons who may be contacted for references. The agency must seek signed statements from these persons attesting to the applicant's moral character, mature judgment, ability to manage financial resources and capacity for developing a meaningful relationship with children, or utilize in-person interviews attesting to the same.

(vi) Ability and motivation. The agency must explore each applicant's understanding of the role of a foster parent and the applicant's ability, motivation and psychological readiness to be a foster parent in accordance with guidelines issued by the office. The agency also must explore the understanding of the other members of the household about foster care and their concept of a foster child's role in the family.

(ii) When an authorized agency, as defined in section 371(10)(a) of the Social Services Law, denies an application pursuant to section 443.8 of this Part based on the results of a criminal history record check conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the authorized agency must provide to the applicant a written statement setting forth the reasons for such denial, including the summary of the criminal history record provided by the Office of Children and Family Services in accordance with this Part. The authorized agency, to the extent authorized by section 443.8 of this Part, must also provide a description of the Division of Criminal Justice Services’ record review process and any remedial processes provided by the Office of Children and Family Services to any prospective foster parents or prospective adoptive parent. If the applicant is disqualified under section 443.8(e)(1)(i)(b) of this Part for a felony conviction of spousal abuse, then the applicant may apply to the Office of Children and Family Services through an administrative hearing held in accordance with section 22 of the Social Services Law for relief from the disqualification based on the ground that the offense was not spousal abuse as that term is defined in section 443.8(i) of this Part.

(iii) When an authorized agency, as defined in section 371(10)(a) of the Social Services Law, denies an application pursuant to section 443.8 of this Part when directed to do so by the Office of Children and Family Services based on the results of the criminal history record check conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the authorized agency must provide to the applicant a written statement setting forth the reasons for such denial. The Office of Children and Family Services must also notify the prospective foster parent or other person over the age of 18 who currently resides in the home of the applicant in accordance with the standards set forth in section 443.8 of this Part. If the applicant is disqualified under section 443.8(e)(1)(i)(b) of this Part for a felony conviction of spousal abuse, then the applicant may apply to the Office of Children and Family Services through an administrative hearing held in accordance with section 22 of the Social Services Law for relief from the disqualification based on the ground that the offense was not spousal abuse as that term is defined in section 443.8(i) of this Part.

(i) the social, family and personal problems that lead to family breakdown and the need for the placement of children;

(ii) the problems and reactions of children upon separation, and the function and responsibility of the foster family in relation to the child, the natural parents, and the agency staff;

(iii) the agency policy and practice to have defined goals to achieve permanency for each child entering the foster care system;

(iv) the authority of the local social services districts, the Office of Children and Family Services and Family Court to supervise the agency's practice;

(v) the nature of the relationship of agency staff to foster parents and children, including definitions of the function and responsibility of the social workers assigned to the children and their families;

(vi) the payments to foster parents for care and expenses; the definition of foster family care, certification or approval of the home; and

(vii) the rights and responsibilities of a foster parent as defined by a letter of understanding that must be executed at the time of certification or approval.

(ii) Such training must include knowledge and skills relating to the reasonable and prudent parent standard, as defined in section 441.25 of this Title, for the participation of the child in foster care in age or developmentally-appropriate activities, including knowledge and skills relating to the developmental stages of the cognition, emotional, physical, and behavioral capacities of a child. Such training must also include knowledge and skills relating to applying the standard to decisions such as whether to allow the child to engage in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities, including sports, field trips, and overnight activities lasting one day or more, and to decisions involving the signing of permission slips and arranging transportation for the child to and from extracurricular, enrichment and social activities.

(iii) Such training will, as appropriate, help the foster parent to understand the issues confronting children preparing for another planned living arrangement with a permanency resource; and will, to the extent possible, be coordinated with a child's program to develop life skills for the purpose of preparing for another planned living arrangement with a permanency resource.

(iv) Such training must also include information on eligibility for the kinship guardianship assistance and the non-recurring guardianship expenses programs, and the medical coverage available to certain relative foster parents under the kinship guardianship assistance program.

(i) the estimated length of time a child may need to be in placement and the assumptions and knowledge on which the estimate is based;

(ii) the health of the child, including the procedure to be followed in obtaining consent for emergency medical treatment in accordance with section 507.5 of this Title and the child's medical history in accordance with the provisions of section 357.3 of this Title;

(iii) handicaps or behavior problems;

(iv) school and educational experiences;

(v) the relationship of the child and the natural parents;

(vi) requirements and plans for visitation of and by the natural family, including probable location of such visits; and

(vii) placement and discharge goals.