How has foster care changed over the years?

How has foster care changed over the years?

Jennifer Perry (Executive Director, Children's Action Network) gives expert video advice on: Under what circumstances does a child become "custody of the state"?; Are foster parents the same as adoptive parents?; What happens to children who aren't adopted? and more...

The system used to be designed whereby there was a clear separation between foster parents and adoptive parents, because it was believed that foster parents should not form an attachment with the child. Now, the current child welfare practice says that permanence is the most important thing for a child. Sometimes, a child can be placed in a foster home, and there's the reasonable assumption that that child will not be reunited with its biological parents, so the foster parents may indicate their desire to adopt. Adoption may be a very likely outcome of the foster care placement.