THE CASE FOR PERMANENT FOSTER-CARE

This article reviews historical developments in the social institution of foster care, leading up to the permanent planning revolution and c urrent family preservation policies in the United States. Success rate s of adoption, family preservation, and family reunification programs are examined, and a rationale for the inclusion of ''permanent foster care'' as an option for children is presented. Permanent foster care h as several advantages: 1) a is federally and automatically funded; 2) it can lead to increased supervision of foster parents; 3) it creates more permanence for more children; 4) it promotes attachment through e nsuring both child and foster parent stability. Models for permanent f oster care already exist, in long-term foster care arrangements for sp ecial-needs children, and in subsidized adoption.