Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward or a non-minor, typically aged 18–21, who volunteers for placement, is placed in a relative placement, a non-related extended family (NREFM) placement, a community family home, an institution, or a group home (residential child care community, residential treatment center, etc.). Relative, NREFM, and community caregivers certified by the state are typically referred to as "foster parents," "kin caregivers," "resource parents," or other local terms. The placement of the child is usually arranged through state or county social services. The institution, group home, or caregiver is reimbursed for the expenses related to caring for the child. The state via the family court and child protection agency stand in loco parentis to the minor, making all legal decisions, while the caregiver is responsible for the day-to-day care of the minor. Even while their child is in care, typically birth parents retain education and medical rights and the right to contact with their child unless parental rights are terminated by the Court.
In the United States, foster home licensing requirements vary from state to state but are generally overseen by each state's Department of Child Protective Services or Human Services. In some states, counties have this responsibility, often in coordination with non-profit Foster Family Agencies (FFAs). Each state's services are monitored by the federal Department of Health and Human Services through reviews such as Child and Family Services Reviews, Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, and Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System Assessment Reviews.
The foster parent licensing process is often similar or simultaneous to the process to become licensed to adopt. It requires preparation classes as well as an application process. The application varies but may include: minimum age; verification that income is sufficient to meet expenses; a criminal record check at local, state, and federal levels, including fingerprinting and ensuring no prior record of violent crimes or child abuse or neglect; a reference from a doctor to ensure that all household members are free from diseases that a child could contract and are in sufficient health to parent a child; and letters of reference from an employer and others who know them.
Another option for placements are Residential Child Care Communities or, in case of severe behavioral or mental challenges, Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs). The focus of treatment in such facilities is often to prepare the child for a return to a foster home, to an adoptive home, or to the birth parents when applicable; however, some children also stay in long-term care. The effectiveness of these facilities is often questioned, but considerable benefits of these types of care have been found as well. There are some children in foster care who may be difficult to place in permanent homes through the normal adoption process. These children are often said to require "special-needs adoption." In this context, "special needs" can include situations where children have specific chronic medical problems, mental health issues, behavioral problems, and/or learning disabilities. In some cases, sibling groups and older children qualify as "special needs." Governments offer a variety of incentives and services to facilitate this class of adoptions.
History In the latter end of the Civil War era, the use of poor houses and orphanages to house dependent children gradually declined in popularity. An alternative approach, soon called "foster care" (as differentiated from general child protection efforts) was popularized by Charles Loring Brace and his organization, the Children's Aid Society (CAS) in New York. CAS took children off the streets, moved them along state lines, and paired them with families in rural states who pre-selected the children with an order form, specifying age, gender, hair and eye color. This was known as the "Orphan Train Movement," which became credited as the first, systematic placement program ran by a charitable organization. The movement lasted from 1853 to approximately 1929 and transported more than 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children. Brace designed this approach based on his personal belief that transforming children into self-reliant members of society rested in an environment that promoted "gainful work, education, and a wholesome family atmosphere."
Unlike earlier permanent child placement, placing out's emphasis on locating homes for children meant that most arrangements did not involve an indenture contract, i.e., the child is not legally obligated to perform work in exchange of food or shelter. The Children's Aid Society also had a policy that placements would be temporary unless the foster parents requested adoption and formal processes were met. This created "a foster care approach that became the basis for the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997" called Concurrent Planning which requires agencies to work toward family reunification while simultaneously developing an alternative plans for permanent placements. This approach greatly impacted the foster care system.
In 1909, the White House Conference on the Care of Dependent Children bolstered the consensus that de-institutionalization was in the best interest of children. As a response, many orphanages, which were predominantly private, religious organizations, soon reinvented themselves into foster care agencies that maintained their considerable influence and control over the organization, scope, and public funding of child welfare placement services today.
Statistics
Preliminary federal estimates counted 343,077 children in foster care on September 30, 2023, a decrease of 6.9 percent from fiscal year 2022; 175,283 children entered foster care during fiscal year 2023, a decrease of 6.1 percent from the previous fiscal year. In 2020, there were 407,493 children in foster care in the country. Based on this number, 45% were in non-relative foster homes, 34% were in relative foster homes, 6% in institutions, 4% in group homes, 4% on trial home visits (where the child returns home while under state supervision), 4% in pre-adoptive homes, 1% had run away, and 2% in supervised independent living. Of the 224,396 children who exited foster care in 2020, 48% were reunited with parents or primary caretakers, 25% were adopted, 10% went to live with a guardian, 9% were emancipated (as minors or by aging out), 6% went to live with another relative, 1% were transferred to another agency, less than 1% ran away, and less than 1% died. Of these children, the median length of time spent in foster care was 15.9 months. 7% were in care for less than 1 month, 22% for 1 to 11 months, 30% for 12 to 23 months, 17% for 24 to 35 months, 11% for 3 to 4 years, and 4% for 5 years or more.
According the National Indian Child Welfare Association, "nationwide American Indian and Native American children are overrepresented in foster care at rates 2.6 times greater than their proportion in the general population."
Foster care by state California With over 60,000 children in foster care in California, the state holds the largest population of foster youth causing overcrowding in group homes, high caseloads for case workers, and disparities in outcomes for children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. This is over twice as many as the 20,529 foster children in New York,"Become a Foster Parent." New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Web. May 22, 2014. the state with the second largest population of foster youth,Balfour, Jeannine. "Celebrating National Foster Care Month." Conrad N. Hilton Foundation May 24, 2013. Web. May 22, 2014. had by the end of 2012. Over 30 percent of California foster youth reside in Los Angeles County, amounting to 18,523 children."Number of Children in Foster Care." kidsdata.org. Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. 2012. Web. May 22, 2014.
Frequent placement changes, lack of supportive relationships, abuse, and neglect within the foster care system all contribute to problematic outcomes such as low school attendance, negative health impacts, and low school and college graduation rates. Foster care youth are at significantly higher risk of experiencing homelessness. After "aging out" of the system at age 18, research has shown that previous foster youth still face difficult instability in their lives. As much as 30 percent of previous foster children are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Only about 50 percent graduate from high school and less than 10 percent graduate from college."Achieving Healthy and Productive Lives for Transition-Age Youth in Foster Care." Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Web. May 22, 2014.
Even after being placed in the foster care system, however, these children might not find the kind of care or stability they need. Girls in foster care have been shown to have marginally higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the general population of California. Children in foster care also have to face disproportionately higher rates of mental illnesses as some studies have shown that as much as 47.9 percent of foster care youth showed signs of serious emotional or behavioral issues.Orlando, Stephanie. "The Intersection of Foster Care and Mental Health." National Council of Disability. Web. May 22, 2014. A study focused on foster care alumni in Los Angeles County showed that about 65 percent leave foster care without a place to live and 25 percent are incarcerated by age 20. Despite these difficulties, California is working toward easing the transition for foster youth through programs and legislation like the California Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2010, which expanded upon similar federal legislation and increased the age limit for receiving foster care benefits from 18 to 21.
Entering foster care in California