More than 500,000 children will close their eyes tonight as
wards of the state in foster care. They are waiting for the
security, stability and love of permanent families. Foster care
was created as a short-term safety net for children in crisis,
however, on average children will languish in care for more than
two years. More than half the children leaving foster care will
return home to their birth parents, and about 18 percent will
leave foster care to adoptive families. For some, however,
reunification with their parents or adoption is not an option.
For these children, a supported legal guardianship with a
relative or another caring adult can be a way out of foster care
to a safe, permanent family. Guardianship gives legal rights to
a child’s caregiver so that he or she can take responsibility
for a child’s safekeeping and make decisions about education and
health needs. When it is necessary to remove a child from his or
her family because of abuse or neglect, research shows foster
placements with relativ