The Evolution of Foster Care in the United States

Foster care in the United States did not appear overnight as a modern, regulated system. It emerged gradually from centuries of changing beliefs about children, poverty, family responsibility, and the role of government. Understanding where foster care came from helps explain both its strengths and its ongoing challenges today.

From Poor Relief to Child Protection: Early Foundations

Modern foster care has deep roots in older systems of poor relief and social control, especially the English Poor Laws that shaped policy in Britain and its colonies from the 16th century onward. These laws authorized local authorities to place poor and orphaned children into other households, often in arrangements that closely resembled indentured labor rather than nurturing family care.

When settlers carried these ideas to North America, children without parental care were commonly:

• Boarded out or placed informally with neighbors or extended kin.
• Apprenticed to craftsmen or farmers until adulthood, often with little oversight.
• Housed in almshouses or early orphanages that also served impoverished adults.

These early practices rarely viewed children as individuals with distinct rights and developmental needs. Instead, they were seen primarily as dependents whose labor had to be organized and whose support had to be financed.

The Rise of Institutions and the Turn Toward Families

By the 19th century, expanding cities and industrialization produced visible child poverty, particularly among immigrant families. Private charities and religious groups responded by building orphanages and similar institutions. These facilities were seen as a humane alternative to street homelessness, but they were often overcrowded, rigid, and poorly resourced.

Over time, reformers began to question whether children raised in large institutions could experience normal emotional and social development. Early child welfare advocates increasingly argued that:

• Small-scale family homes offered more stable emotional bonds than dormitory-style institutions.
• Institutional care should be used only as a last resort.
• Children needed not just food and shelter, but also affection, continuity, and educational opportunities.

These concerns helped open the door for what we now recognize as family-based foster care.

Charles Loring Brace and the Orphan Train Era

A key turning point came in the mid-1800s with the work of Charles Loring Brace, a Protestant minister who founded the Children’s Aid Society in New York City. Appalled by the thousands of children living on urban streets, Brace promoted a new model he called the “placing out” system.

The Placing-Out Concept

Brace believed that city children would thrive if moved into rural Christian households. His organization began sending groups of children by train—later known as “orphan trains”—to farming communities across the Midwest and beyond.

Families who took children in were expected to provide food, housing, and work training, but there was often:

• No standardized screening of foster families.
• Little or no post-placement monitoring.
• Minimal input from the children themselves.

By some estimates, more than 100,000 children were relocated through orphan train programs between the 1850s and 1920s. While some found stable, loving homes, others experienced exploitation, neglect, or cultural and familial disconnection. Still, the movement helped normalize the idea that long-term institutionalization was not the only option for children lacking parental care.

The Shift to Public Responsibility and Regulation

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, states and local governments increasingly asserted a role in supervising children’s placements. Private charities remained influential, but there was growing recognition that children’s welfare was a matter of public concern, not solely private charity.

The Creation of the Children’s Bureau

In 1912, Congress created the U.S. Children’s Bureau, the first federal agency focused specifically on children’s well-being. Early leaders such as Julia Lathrop and Grace Abbott promoted standards that emphasized:

• Keeping children in their own homes whenever safely possible.
• Using family foster homes instead of institutions when removal was necessary.
• Regular inspection and record-keeping for child placements.

In 1919, the Bureau issued Minimum Standards of Child Welfare, which explicitly described the importance of “home life” and continuity of care for children. This document laid intellectual and practical groundwork for child-centered approaches that continue to shape policy.

Federal Social Policy and the Growth of Foster Care

The Great Depression and New Deal further expanded the federal government’s role in child welfare. The Social Security Act of 1935 authorized federal grants for child welfare services, including funds that supported inspection of foster homes. Over the next several decades, foster care grew from a relatively small, charitable practice into a standard tool of public child protection.

By the 1960s, rising removals and longer stays reflected both increased surveillance of families and the relative ease of funding out-of-home placements compared with in-home services.

From Removal to Permanency: Late 20th Century Reforms

As research in psychology and social work developed after World War II, policymakers could rely on a stronger evidence base about the effects of separation and instability on children. Studies highlighted the harms of repeated moves, uncertain legal status, and prolonged stays in temporary care.

Early Federal Child Protection Laws

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) of 1974 was the first major federal statute focused squarely on child abuse and neglect. It encouraged states to create reporting systems, investigation protocols, and safeguards for children at risk. While CAPTA did not redesign foster care itself, it reinforced the trend toward greater state intervention when maltreatment was suspected.

Subsequent legislation in the late 20th century introduced core principles that still guide practice:

• Permanency planning requirements, so children would not remain in legal limbo indefinitely.
• Case review standards, including regular court oversight of foster care placements.
• Reunification efforts as a preferred outcome when safe and achievable.

Professionalization of Foster Parenting

Over these same decades, expectations for foster parents shifted dramatically. Once seen chiefly as charitable “substitute homes,” foster families gradually came to be recognized as part of a professional support network. National organizations and training models emerged to:

• Provide standardized pre-service and ongoing training.
• Emphasize partnership between foster parents, agencies, and birth families.
• Prepare caregivers for trauma, attachment issues, and complex family dynamics.

By the 1980s and beyond, resource parent training programs reflected a more collaborative and trauma-informed understanding of foster care.

Contemporary Foster Care: Principles and Tensions

Today’s U.S. foster care system reflects more than a century of reforms, debates, and incremental policy adjustments. While each state runs its own program, common principles now include:

• Child safety as the primary legal and ethical priority.
• Family preservation efforts to prevent unnecessary removals.
• Permanency goals such as reunification, guardianship, or adoption within a reasonable timeframe.
• Due process protections for parents and children in court proceedings.

However, longstanding tensions remain, many of which have deep historical roots:

• The balance between supporting families and protecting children.
• Disproportionate system involvement of certain racial and ethnic groups.
• Variation in resources and quality between jurisdictions.
• Challenges in helping youth transition successfully from care to adulthood.

Looking Ahead: Lessons From History

Reviewing the history of foster care suggests several enduring lessons:

• Policies driven purely by poverty control or labor needs tend to overlook children’s developmental and emotional needs.
• Large institutions may be efficient but struggle to provide the secure attachments children require.
• Unchecked private or local discretion can lead to serious abuses, highlighting the need for oversight and accountability.
• Overreliance on removal and foster placement, without adequate family support, can create large systems that are difficult to manage and reform.

At the same time, the historical record shows that child welfare policy can and does change. Research, advocacy, and lived experience have repeatedly pushed the system toward more child-centered and family-focused approaches. Understanding that evolution helps guide current debates over how to improve foster care, reduce unnecessary placements, and support children’s long-term well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions About Foster Care History

When did foster care as we know it begin in the United States?

Scholars usually trace the beginnings of modern U.S. foster care to the mid-19th century, when Charles Loring Brace’s Children’s Aid Society started systematically placing children from New York City with families in western and midwestern communities. Earlier forms of child placement existed, but Brace’s “placing out” efforts were a precursor to organized family foster care.

How were children cared for before foster homes became common?

Before widespread foster placements, children without parental care were typically placed in almshouses, orphanages, or similar institutions; boarded out informally; or bound as apprentices or laborers under arrangements derived from poor law traditions.

When did the federal government get involved in foster care?

The federal government first entered child welfare through the Children’s Bureau in 1912 and expanded its role with the Social Security Act of 1935, which funded state child welfare services and required inspections of foster homes. In the 1960s, amendments to federal welfare law allowed public funds to be used widely for foster care, contributing to significant growth in the system.

Why is the orphan train era controversial today?

The orphan train movement is controversial because, although it removed many children from dire conditions, it often did so with little consent from children or birth families, minimal screening of receiving homes, and virtually no post-placement oversight. Some children benefited greatly; others experienced exploitation, cultural loss, or abuse.

What major changes shaped modern foster care in the late 20th century?

Key changes included federal laws that emphasized permanency planning, regular case review, and efforts to reunify families when safe; the professionalization and training of foster parents; and increasing attention to children’s psychological needs and the harms of instability.

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medha deb

 

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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