There are approximately 58,000 children in the United States that live in residential placements such as group homes and treatment facilities.

In the question-and-answer factsheet, How Can We Ensure Educational Success for Dependent Youth in Congregate Care?, the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education provides information on the educational barriers faced by children who reside in residential placements, as well as what the facilities, caseworkers, and the courts can do to ensure educational success for these children. In addition, the factsheet provides information on Federal laws, including the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act and the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act, that provide child welfare and school officials with guidance on addressing the education placement and needs of dependent children.

According to the Legal Center, although not appropriate for all children, attending school outside the residential facility is generally in the best interest of the child. The factsheet also addresses how the facility and the local school system can work together to meet the education needs of children.

The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education is a collaboration of the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, the Juvenile Law Center, and the Education Law Center. How Can We Ensure Educational Success for Dependent Youth in Congregate Care? is available on the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education website listed below.

Links

• How Can We Ensure Educational Success for Dependent Youth in Congregate Care?