placement may be short or longer term (ie: it may only be for a few hours or it may be for
longer than that), and may occur in a number of settings. It is not intended to be a
permanent solution for a child; the goal is always to find a permanent, stable, and safe
home.
Some of the most common types of out-of-home placements include:
Family foster care is when the child lives in a private home with a family or adult.
Kinship care is when the child lives with other relatives (for example,
grandparents, aunts and uncles) after being moved from their parents’ home.
Treatment foster care includes placements that occur when the child has been
identified as needing special services and supports; for example, if the child is
medically fragile, HIV+, or has some type of emotional or behavioral disorder.
Treatment foster care placements, sometimes called therapeutic foster care,
mean that the foster parents have received special training or support so that
they can better meet the needs of these children.
Residential or group care settings include institutional settings, such as
treatment centers or correctional facilities, community-based group homes, and
residential living in campus settings.
Emergency care settings are used by some states and counties when a child is
first removed from their family’s home. They are generally settings where a
child stays less than 7 days, and may be with a family or in a more institutional
setting.
For more information about the types of out-of-home placement go here:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/outofhome/types/
What is guardianship? What is state guardianship?
Guardianship is the legal transfer of parental and legal authority of a child to another
caregiver. State guardianship means that the state assumes parental responsibility and
legal authority for the child. Assumption of legal guardianship does not require
termination of parental rights, as is required for an adoption. Each state has different laws
around guardianship and establishing guardianship.
For more information: http://www.childwelfare.gov/permanency/guardianship.cfm
What is adoption?
Adoption is the process in which children who will not be raised by their birth parents
become full and permanent legal members of another family. For adoption to occur, the
legal relationship between and child and their biological parents must be terminated.