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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Providers & Licensing

    The Department of Human Services (DHS) takes seriously its responsibility to protect the health and safety of individuals in licensed facilities across the Commonwealth.

     

    DHS is responsible for the administration, oversight, development, management, regulation, enforcement, and training of licensing programs for all human service programs for providers and partners.

    Resources for Providers
    Details About DHS Licensing

    Licensing Services

    Child Care Facilities

    DHS' Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) oversees the licensure of child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes in Pennsylvania. 
     

    ​Children and Youth Facilities and Residential Settings 

    DHS' Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) licenses facilities such as adoption services, county children and youth agencies, foster family care agency services, secure care programs, and more.
     

    ​Developmental Programs

    The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) licenses facilities that provide services to Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism, including community homes, adult training, and vocational facilities, and more. 
     

    Mental Health Programs

    The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is responsible for the licensure of a variety of services ranging from outpatient to inpatient mental health providers.
     

    Personal Care Homes & Assisted Living Residences

    DHS' Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) is responsible for licensure of personal care homes (PCH) and assisted living residences (ALR) in Pennsylvania.

    Apply for Licensure

    Agencies and entities interested in becoming a DHS-licensed provder are required to complete and submit an application for licensure.

    ​For Children and Youth, Mental Health, and Personal Care Home & Assisted Living Residence Licensing:

    Please ensure all necessary documents are gathered and completed prior to submission of your application materials.

    For ​Developmental Programs Licensing: 

    ODP's Provider Applicant Orientation is required for any new applicant seeking approval to provide services to the intellectual disability or autism community. This orientation makes sure that all applicants intending to provide waiver services to individuals with an intellectual disability or Autism have a basic understanding of how the ODP system operates prior to starting services.

    For Child Care Facilities: 

    If you are interested in opening a child care program, view the provider requirements and child care forms in the list of links below:

    Human Services Provider Directory

    DHS monitors and inspects all of its licensed facilities and publicly posts detailed information about licensed facilities, including licensing status and completed licensing inspection reports, on its online provider directory. 

    Visit the Provider Directory