ABSTRACT
Shared family care involves the planned provision of out-of-home care to parents and their children so that the parent and the host caregivers simultaneously share the care of the children and work toward independent in-home care by the parent. Shared family care combines the benefits of in-home services, which are not always enough for some families, with out-of-home child welfare services, which may be unnecessary to meet a family's needs or may be ineffective. The mental health community has been using private homes to provide family foster care to mentally ill adults since the late 19th century. Shared family foster care (SFFC) refers to a situation in which a family is temporarily placed in the home of a host family trained to mentor and support the biological parents as they develop the skills and supports necessary to care for their children and live independently. Although SFFC shows promise in protecting children and preserving families, it is not appropriate for everyone.
