Glossary
Hover over the terms below for definitions and learn how these concepts impact students who are living in care in your school.
Foster Care
Temporary placement of a child in a home that has been approved by the Child Welfare System (Children's Bureau, 2020), occurring as the result of abuse or neglect, or loss of parent (due to death or incarceration).
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What this means for schools: Life has abruptly and significantly changed for this child. All educational decisions will be made by the assigned caseworker for the time being.
Caregivers
The adult(s) with whom the child in foster care lives. This could be the foster/resource parent, or kinship caregiver.
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What this means for schools: Most children spend the vast majority of their time in school and at home. For children in care, collaboration with caregivers is essential to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Educational Stability
Keeping a child who is placed in foster care in their school of origin, unless it is not in their best interest (U.S. Dept of Education & U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services, 2016).
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What this means for schools: All schools should have a designated Foster Care Liaison. Educational stability benefits children in care; schools should advocate for it whenever possible.
Kinship Care
Foster placement with a relative, family friend, or party who is known to the child.
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What this means for schools: Kinship care sounds preferable to traditional foster care, as staying with a relative or family friend is less disruptive to the child than moving in with people they have never met before. All educational decisions must still go through the assigned caseworker.
Out-of-Home Placement
Any placement other than a child's biological home, including: foster homes, kinship homes, group homes, pre-adoptive homes, and institutions.
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What this means for schools: A child in out-of-home placement will have a caseworker through the State Child Welfare System. Educational decisions will be made by their caseworker, not their caregiver.
School of Origin
The school the child was attending when they were initially placed in care.
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What this means for schools: When a child is placed in care, schools will need to coordinate with the local Child Welfare Agency to ensure transportation.