In general, courts would prefer that a child remain with family members than be placed in foster care.
In such cases, an individual or individuals other than the parents are granted custody or given a temporary guardianship or foster care arrangement by a court.
A small percentage of children are in foster care because their parents feel unable to control them, and their behavior may have led to delinquency or fear of harm to others.
A child may be placed in foster care with the parents' consent.
Foster parents must be licensed by the agency that handles a specific region's foster care.