Licensing (not for child care)

Iowa law requires agencies be licensed which are providing child-placing services (adoption, foster care and supervised apartment living) and children's residential group foster care facilities.  The goal is to provide appropriate protection for children who are separated from their families.  See the licensing categories listed below. 

Licensing Categories
  • Certified Adoption Investigators ~ a person who conducts home studies to provide adoption services to individuals and families independent of an agency.
  • Child Placing Agency ~ an agency that provides adoption, foster care, supervised apartment living services.
  • Group Foster Care Facilities ~ a facility that provides children's residential group foster care, shelter and detention services.
This excludes the following Habilitation programs; see contact information
listed below:

  • ICF/MR (Intermediate Care Facility/Mental Retardation)
  • RCF (Residential Care Facility)
  • RCF/MR (Residential Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded)
  • RCF/PMI (Residential Care Facility/Persons with Mental Illness) 
     

Licensing Applications (not for child care)
To request an application for a child-placing or group foster care facility, please contact:

Carol Gerleman
Dept of Human Services
Division of Child & Family Services
Hoover Bldg., 5th Floor
1305 East Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50319

Phone: 515-281-6220
 
 
To fill out an online Application for License or Certificate of Approval, click on link below:
 
Licensing Rules
For information on Licensing Standards, see the Iowa Administrative Rules.



Licensing List ~ Iowa Agencies/Facilities
DHS maintains a complete list of child-placing agencies and group foster care facilities licensed in Iowa.




Certified Adoption Investigator Applications
To request an application for a Certified Adoption Investigator please contact:

Carol Gerleman
Dept of Human Services
Division of Child & Family Services
Hoover Bldg., 5th Floor
1305 East Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50319

Phone: 515-281-6220
To fill out an online Certified Adoption investigator application, click on link below:

 

Certified Adoption Investigator Rules
To view rules related to certification adoption investigators, see the Iowa Administrative Rules.



Certified Adoption Investigators List
DHS maintains a complete list of Certified Adoption Investigators licensed in Iowa. 



Habilitation Services (children/adult services)
For information on ICF/MR (Intermediate Care Facility/Mental Retardation), contact:

Ronda Bennett
Dept of Inspections & Appeals
Health Facilities Division
Lucas Building, 3rd Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319

Phone: 515-281-3759


For information on any of the following:
  • RCF (Residential Care Facility)
  • RCF/MR (Residential Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded)
  • RCF/PMI (Residential Care Facility/Persons with Mental Illness)
Contact:

Deb Dixon
Dept of Inspections & Appeals
Health Facilities Division
Lucas Building, 3rd Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319

Phone: 515-281-4081


Additional Contacts
For information regarding complaints for children's residential group care, shelters or detentions, contact Deb Dixon at 515-281-4081 or deb.dixon@dia.iowa.gov.
For information regarding purchased service contracts, contact Eloise Gardner at 515-281-7556 or egardne@dhs.state.ia.us.

For information regarding child care centers or registration of child development homes, contact Renee Larsen at 515-281-0390 or rlarsen@dhs.state.ia.us.

For information regarding the special needs adoption program, contact Tracey Parker at 515-281-5358 or tparker@dhs.state.ia.us.

For information regarding Iowa Foster & Adoptive Parents Association (IFAPA), contact Tracey Parker at 515-281-5358 or visit IFAPA at www.ifapa.org or 1-800-277-8145.

For information regarding Foster Home Licensing and Special Needs Adoption contact Iowa KidsNet at, www.iowakidsnet.com or 1-800-243-0756.

For information regarding International Adoption procedures, visit www.uscis.gov.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Iowa is located in the Federal Building, 210 Walnut, Room 369, Des Moines, IA.  Business phone is 515-323-2050.
 
For information regarding International and/or private infant adoptions, 
visit the Iowa Association of Adoption Agencies (IAAA) website at www.iowaadoption.org
 
For information regarding home and community based services waivers, visit www.ime.state.ia.us/HCBS/HCBSindex.html

 
For questions or comments related to this web page, contact the licensing pagemaster.
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