A foster home is not always the first destination for
children that have been taken out of their original homes. There are times when
it is best that a child be placed in the care of a Residential Treatment
Center. It is not always best for a child to be placed in a foster home because
they may not be mentally or emotionally able to deal with that kind of setting.

There are many cases where a Residential Treatment Center
is the best way to offer the child the care that they need on a temporary
basis. Residential Treatment Centers are for children that are not able to
benefit from being placed in a foster home. Their mental and physical state
warrants that a Residential Treatment Center is the best place for them to be.

When a child is in a Residential Treatment Center, it is not an intended permanent state of residence for
them. Residential Treatment Centers are a place that children are intended to
stay in until they are able to move on to a private home option. The children
that are placed in a Residential Treatment Center are closely monitored in a
group setting. Once the Residential Treatment Center feels that a child has
reached a point where he or she is able to be cared for privately, placement
will be sought for the child.

Residential Treatment Centers are often the stepping
stone that a child needs until they are able to overcome the abuse they have endured. After staying in a Residential Treatment Center, it may
be decided by the Residential Treatment Center that the child is ready to move
on to that next phase of permanent residency.

Residential Treatment Centers decide when children are
ready to live in an adoptive home. In the meantime, Residential Treatment
Centers always have a child’s best interest at the framework of all planning
and arrangements. Therefore, a Residential Treatment Center will not release a
child to the care of an adoptive family until that Residential Treatment Center
is sure that that it is going to be the ultimate fit for the
child. 

Residential Treatment Centers also assess when a child is
ready to go back to his or her original home. If the state concludes that a
child can return back to the care of his or her home, Residential Treatment Centers
will do their part to evaluate whether or not a child is ready for that. If it
is determined that a child is not ready to stay in the care of their original legal guardianship, the child will remain in
the care of the Residential Treatment Centers until the next course of action
is decided.

Foster homes are governed by the Department of Human
Services or Social Services in any given State.
Although the name of the departments may vary from one State to
the next, the responsibilities are the same from State to State. The
foster homes are monitored by one of these State
agencies.

The Department of Human Services and Social Services is
responsible for outlining the specifications of what a foster home should offer
a child. These agencies have the final say as to who meets the criteria of a
foster home by making sure that their specifications are followed. Human
Services and Social Services set the standard for the foster homes in their State.
These State
agencies always do what is in the best interest of the child.