Foster Care Program

Foster Care is available without discrimination to children throughout NH who are in need of out-of-home care due to abuse, neglect and delinquency, or for children in need of service.

Adoption Program

Prospective adoptive families must:

• Be 21 years of age or older;
• Be a NH resident;
• Complete an application packet;
• Undergo a child abuse and a criminal records check;
• Attend and complete specialized adoption training; and 
• Have a family assessment completed by a NH licensed child-placing agency.

• Adoptive families may be eligible for an adoption subsidy under federal law.

Adoption search services may be available to:

• Adopted persons age 21 or older who were adopted through DCYF;
• Birth parents of persons over the age 21 adopted through DCYF; 
• In some situations search services can be provided to siblings and other relatives of adopted persons adopted through DCYF when a court order is obtained for search services; and
• If you do not know which agency processed your adoption, DCYF staff can help determine which agency processed your adoption and provide guidance on how to proceed.