The Office of Licensing is responsible for the licensure of Florida’s child-placing agencies. The purpose of a license is to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all children in the state who are cared for by child-placing agencies by providing for the establishment of licensing requirements for such agencies and providing procedures to determine adherence to these requirements.
A child-placing agency is any person, corporation, or agency, public or private, other than the parent or legal guardian of the child or an intermediary acting pursuant to Chapter 63, that receives a child for placement and places or arranges for the placement of a child in a family foster home, residential child-caring agency, or adoptive home. Child-placing agencies are governed under Florida Statutes Sections 409.175 and Florida Administrative Code 65C-15, Child-Placing Agencies .
Agencies seeking to become licensed as a child-placing agency may select one or more subtypes offered by the Department.
The Florida Adoption Transparency site is an online data collection tool designed to gather information for finalized adoptions completed by adoption entities.
Pursuant to Chapter 63.097, Florida Statutes , information must be submitted no later than the 15th day of the month following the preceding quarter. Information on finalized adoptions completed by Community Based Care Lead Agencies is obtained from DCF's Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) and updated in the dashboard.
If you are interested in learning more about child-placing agencies, please contact a licensing staff member in your area .
All child-placing agencies must obtain an OCA from DCF to complete the required background screenings to meet licensure requirements.