Fostering homeless children and their parents too: the emergence of whole-family foster care.

Children should not be placed in out-of-home care simply because their families lack the means to provide for their basic needs, yet this practice continues nationwide. A new program based in St. Paul, MN, gives county social service departments the placement option of whole-family foster care. The target population is adult parents and minor children without stable residences, where the children are at risk of placement in out-of-home care. Although the parents and children may have special needs, there are no safety risks that would necessitate separating children and parents. The program's design is described and policy questions discussed.