Foster care and beyond: Pathways, practices, and permanency

Richard P. Barth, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Antonio R. Garcia, Johanna K.P. Greeson, John Gyourko and Brett Drake

Chapter 3 in Understanding Child Welfare, 2026, pp 42-62 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: CWS-supervised out-of-home care is offered to a subset of children whose parents are unable to safely care for them. Once a dominant feature of CWS, placements into foster care and group care are now declining in both frequency and duration. This chapter reviews placement options typically used to care for these children, including kinship care, non-relative foster care, treatment foster care, and group or residential care. Options to ensure children's permanency are reviewed, including the most recent evidence on what contributes to successful reunification, adoption, and guardianship. Some of the critical debates that shape these areas of practice and policy are discussed. The chapter also highlights innovations in the provision of out-of-home care, describing approaches that offer greater support to families.

Keywords: Child welfare; Foster care; Out-of-home care; Permanency; Reunification; Adoption; Guardianship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035359110
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