How Do Kids Get Put into Foster Care

Understanding the Crisis Behind a Child’s Removal

The circumstances that lead up to a child being placed in foster care can most often be described in a word – crisis. As you look to understand how children enter the foster care system, keep in mind that every family’s situation is different. And usually, it’s not just the child who is in crisis, but their family as well.

So how do kids get put into foster care? Let’s explore the criteria, generational trauma and unmet needs that lead to a child’s placement into foster care.

When Is a Child Removed?

The decision to remove a child from their home is never made lightly. It happens only when a child’s safety, health or well-being is at serious risk. State child welfare agencies follow strict legal criteria to determine when a child should be placed in foster care, often after multiple interventions and attempts to stabilize the home.

Children may be removed due to:

• Neglect (failure to provide food, shelter, medical care or supervision); neglect is the primary reason for around 90% of removals and is present in almost 100% of removals.
• Unsafe living environments (exposure to violence, dangerous substances, unsanitary conditions or severe mental health issues)
• Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional harm inflicted with intention upon the child)
• Abandonment or incarceration of a parent with no safe caregiver available

Most removals begin with a report to Child and Family Services from a teacher, neighbor, medical professional, law enforcement officer or other witnesses. Once someone reports their suspicions that the child may be in danger, a caseworker then investigates and assesses whether the child is safe to remain at home or needs to be removed temporarily.  

If the child is believed to be in immediate danger, a social worker and/or a law enforcement officer can take the child into emergency temporary custody, placing them in a short-term foster home while the situation is being evaluated.

The goal in every situation is to prevent removal whenever possible by offering support services to families. But when those interventions fail and a child is unsafe, foster care becomes the next necessary step.

Entering Foster Care

Once removal is deemed necessary, State child welfare agents work to identify an available foster family willing to provide a safe, temporary home and care for the child. Depending on the circumstances of the child’s removal, they may arrive at the foster home with several bags of belongings or nothing but the clothes on their backs.  

Whether it’s for a few days or several months, the foster family is responsible for the day-to-day care of the child and for complying with the State’s plans for reunifying the child with their family. This commitment requires patience, cooperation and no small dose of compassion to keep the child’s best interests the top priority.

Whatever the circumstances led to their removal, most children in foster care want to be with their family and thrive best when allowed to return to a healthier, home environment with their birth parents.

The Deeper Story — Generational Trauma and Unmet Needs

Many parents involved in the child welfare system were once vulnerable children themselves. They may have grown up in foster care, experienced chronic neglect or lived in homes marked by addiction and violence. As a vulnerable child grows up and becomes a parent themselves, these experiences directly affect their own children.

When a parent has never been cared for, never experienced healthy relationships and has no reliable support system, the odds are stacked against them. This is known as generational trauma, and it often plays a major role in why some parents struggle to meet their children’s needs.

For example, a mother who was never taught how to safely care for a baby may unintentionally neglect her infant—not because she doesn’t love her child, but because she never had a model of how to parent. Or a father battling addiction may be repeating a pattern he learned from his own childhood environment, not realizing there is another way.

Understanding these deeper root causes helps us move from judgment to compassion. These parents are not monsters — they are often survivors. And just like their children, they need support, healing and hope.

What Happens Next? The Process and Goals of Foster Care

Once a child is placed in foster care, the birth parents are given a reunification plan — a roadmap that outlines the steps they need to take in order to get their children back. This might include parenting classes, substance abuse treatment, counseling, stable housing or consistent visitation.

Foster care is not a final destination—it’s a temporary intervention designed to protect a child while their family works toward stability. The ultimate goal is reunification — returning the child to their birth family when it is safe and possible to do so.

Those who choose to foster do much more than provide a safe place for a child to land in a time of crisis — they stand in the gap for a family in need of hope and healing.

Foster families have the power to:

• Help a child feel seen, valued and safe
• Model healthy relationships and life skills that break cycles of trauma
• Encourage and support birth parents as they work toward reunification

The need is real. The impact is lasting. When you step into foster care, you’re not just helping a child—you’re helping restore a family’s future.

Curious about foster care? Learn more about how to become a foster parent here!