When placement decisions are made, it is important for the child’s safety to be at the forefront. Beyond safety, professionals should consider factors such as family preference, cultural backgrounds, the strengths and needs of the child, the caretaker’s ability to meet their needs, location of their school, continued connection to their community, and other issues as appropriate. Considering these factors, and completing preplacement visits whenever possible, are important to long-term placement stability. The resources on this page provide information for child welfare professionals about making placement decisions, how to promote stability, and how to minimize the number of placements a child lives in while in out-of-home care.
Achieving Placement Stability [Learning Experience]
Capacity Building Center for States (2016)
Helps States and territories build their capacity to provide a child or youth in foster care with a stable, secure, and long-term family environment in which to live. This learning experience includes seven interactive modules. Free registration is required to access this resource.
The Child Welfare Placement Continuum: What's Best for Children?
National Conference of State Legislatures (2019)
Discusses the importance of keeping children with their families when possible and placing them in the least restrictive, family-like environment when that is not possible. The webpage explores kinship care, foster care, and residential or group homes.
Choosing Better Initial Foster Care Placements
North Carolina Division of Social Services & North Carolina Family and Children's Resource Program (2017)
Children's Services Practice Notes, 22(2)
Reviews data about children's experiences in the first year they entered State custody in North Carolina.
How Can We Ensure a Child's First Placement Is With a Family? (PDF - 2,304 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2018)
Discusses placing children in kinship care when they are removed from their families to mitigate trauma, support placement stability, and increase permanence.
How Can We Improve Placement Stability for Children in Foster Care?
Casey Family Programs (2018)
Examines the importance of placement stability in foster care and highlights key strategies that support this goal.
Placement Process Resource Guide (PDF - 548 KB)
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (2020)
Provides child welfare professionals with guidance, recommendations, and procedures regarding placing children in out-of-home care in Texas.
What Impacts Placement Stability?
Casey Family Programs (2018)
Explores the importance of placement stability and factors that are associated with placement instability.
When Child Welfare Systems Embrace Trauma-Informed Care
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2017)
Explains how trauma-informed systems can have a positive impact on placement stability.