Group Care

The Department of Health performs health and safety inspections of schools, foster homes, assisted living facilities and group homes. Group care facilities may fall under one of four categories:

Residential Child-Caring Agencies

A residential child-caring agency is a Department of Children and Families licensed residential facility or agency which provides staffed 24-hour care for children in residential facilities. In general the health department provides an environmental health inspection of the food service area to ensure basic food safety and sanitation standards are followed. For more information, see the Residential Child-Caring Agency page.

At schools, the health department ensures good sanitary health and safety practices are in place related to construction, operation and maintenance among the children, employees and visitors to the school facility. Our purpose is to prevent or minimize the risk of transmitting disease, injury or bodily harm. For more information, see the Public, Private and Charter Schools page.

Residential Group Care Facilities

There are two state agencies that license residential group care facilities: the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families. In various residential facilities an environmental health inspection helps the facility ensure good sanitary health and safety practices are in place related to construction, operation and maintenance among the residents, employees and visitors to the facility. Our purpose is to prevent or minimize the risk of transmitting disease, injury or bodily harm.

You can get information on group care facility inspections at the Department of Health Inspection Reports and Data page.

For more information, see the Residential Group Care page.