Residential Child Care Facility

Applying for a License to Operate a Residential Child Care Facility

Effective Aug. 1, 2011 residential child care facilities have to be accredited for three years from either the Council on Accreditation (COA), the Joint Commission, formerly known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (TJC), the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) or the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) before they can be licensed. Please attach an accreditation letter from one of these four organizations verifying accreditation and the date you were accredited.
Residential Child Care Facility Inquiry Form

Mail the inquiry form and accreditation letter to:
North Carolina Division of Social Services
Regulatory and Licensing Services
952 Old US Highway 70
Black Mountain, North Carolina 28711

North Carolina administrative rules for residential child-care are located in 10A NCAC 70I and 10A NCAC 70J and are available here. 

It is important to remember that the Division of Social Services licenses group homes for children who are in need of foster care services. These are primarily children who are removed from their own homes due to abuse, neglect and/or dependency. The plan for the children usually pertains to reunification with parents or a guardian or an adoptive family. Independent living programs are provided in group homes licensed by the Division of Social Services. 

The Division of Social Services does not license group homes for children who need behavioral mental health treatment services. These are children who are assessed with Level II, Level III or Level IV needs or display behaviors requiring behavioral mental health treatment services. You cannot provide services to these children in a group home licensed by the Division of Social Services. The Division of Health Services Regulation licenses group homes for children requiring behavioral mental health treatment services. Information about licensure requirements can be found in Forms and Applications web page at the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation website under Mental Health Licensure and Certification Section.