Foster care (also known as out-of-home care) is a temporary service provided by each state for children who cannot live with their families. Children in foster care may live with relatives or with unrelated foster parents. Foster care can also refer to placement settings such as group homes, residential care facilities, emergency shelters, and supervised independent living.
In Ohio, foster care is regulated by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). It is designed as a temporary arrangement for children who are unable to live with their biological families due to safety concerns, abuse, neglect, or other family crises. Foster care provides a supportive and stable environment for children, either with relatives (known as kinship care) or with licensed foster parents. Ohio law also allows for placement in alternative settings such as group homes, residential care facilities, emergency shelters, and supervised independent living programs for older youth. The goal of foster care in Ohio is to provide a safe, nurturing, and temporary home while working towards the best permanent solution for the child, which could be reunification with the family, adoption, or another permanent living arrangement.