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Children's Foster Care

Foster care encompasses the placements and services provided to children and families when children have been removed from their homes because of child safety concerns, as a result of serious parent-child conflict, or to treat serious physical or behavioral health conditions which cannot be addressed within the family.

Before a decision is made to remove a child, child welfare staff must make reasonable efforts to safely maintain children with their families, including providing necessary supports and services. These services are often called family preservation or in-home services and are provided by child protective services staff, community agencies, or both. Courts must approve all decisions to remove children from their homes to ensure reasonable efforts were made.

Children in out-of-home care may live in a number of possible settings. These include relatives' homes, family foster homes, treatment foster homes, or residential care. The phrase "foster care" or "out-of-home care" is often used to refer to this array of placements.

While in out-of-home care, children are usually in the legal custody of the State. Shelter and daily care are provided by foster or kinship families or residential staff. These caregivers undergo an assessment and often licensing or certification process to ensure the safety, well-being and permanence of the children.  Foster families receive supportive services and licensed foster placements also receive monthly payments to assist them in caring for the children.

While in out-of-home care, children and their parents or other family members receive services. These are designed to provide support and safety for the child and to alleviate the problems that led to the placement. Out-of-home care is intended to be temporary - the goal is to return children home as soon as possible or achieve permanency with another permanent plan when this is not possible.