Licensing vs. Placement in Foster Care

Licensing a household certifies safety and willingness to host foster children; placement is a later matching decision. Policy and practice should treat them as separable: speed and broaden licensure (reduce non‑essential barriers) while keeping placement decisions focused on fit, not as a gate to stop families from being available. — Separating licensure from placement reframes the foster‑care shortage as an administrative bottleneck that state and federal rules can fix quickly, changing outcomes for many children and reducing expensive congregate placements.