Religious Rights of Youth in Out-of-Home Care - Massachusetts

Date: January 2024

Youths' Religious Rights
Citation: The Answer Book

In policy: A youth in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has the right to be placed with safe and available relatives after a home study is completed and approved by DCF. Youth in foster care also have the following rights:

  • To be treated with respect by their social worker, lawyer, and everyone in the foster home
  • To never be discriminated against, treated badly, or physically harmed for any reason, including for their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, the language they speak, or their social or cultural background
  • If they have spiritual and/or religious beliefs, to be able to participate in activities related to those beliefs

Agency Responsibilities 
Citation: Code of Regs. Tit. 110, §§ 4.34; 7.104; DCF Policy #: 23-01; DCF Policy #88-001

DCF (including departmental foster parents) will not procure or authorize any baptism or other religious ceremony for any minor child in its custody.

A foster/preadoptive parent applicant or a person seeking to be licensed as a foster parent must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of DCF, the ability to respect and make efforts to support the integrity of a child's racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious background.  

In policy: DCF expects that foster parents will support connections to the child's racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and religious background, sexual orientation and gender identity, and community and family of origin.

DCF Policy #88-001It is the policy of DCF that to the maximum extent possible a Native American child's Tribal heritage shall be preserved by one of the following:

  • Placement with extended family
  • Placement with a foster parent of the child's Tribe
  • Placement with a foster family of another Indian Tribe
  • Placement in a non-Native foster family which has been approved by an Indian Tribe or is operated by an Indian organization
  • Placement with a non-Native foster family that exhibits a willingness and sensitivity to respect and nurture the child's Native heritage

Addressing Grievances
Citation: The Answer Book

Youth in foster care can tell their lawyer immediately if they are being treated badly in any way by those they should be able to trust.