When a young person enters care, the decisions made in those first days matter, especially where they will live.
Whenever possible, placing a child with family or someone they already know should come first. Kinship placements offer familiarity, identity, and connection during one of the most unsettling moments in a child’s life.
For young people with more complex needs and where kin placements may not be available, therapeutic foster homes offer a different kind of support. These are family unit homes designed to respond with consistency, structure, and a deeper understanding of what the young person is carrying.
Group homes should have a limited role in the system. Sometimes they are necessary for short term stays but they are not the same as a home. They are more structured, have more punitive rules, they lack connection, they are less personal, and for many young people, they feel like a waiting room rather than a place to land. In New Brunswick we have approximately 38 group homes and 61 group home like programs, called “individualized placements”. We need a plan, leadership and accountability to reduce and phase out these placements whenever possible and we need it now.
That is why expanding kinship and therapeutic foster home placements needs to remain a priority. Several years ago in New Brunswick, we developed Professional Care Homes but the support systems were inadequate and they never achieved their full potential and it’s time we go back and get this right.
There is one more piece that often gets overlooked. Young people should have a say in where they are placed and the Child and Youth Wellbeing Act reinforces this step. Even in urgent situations, a few simple questions can make a real difference. Who do they feel safe with? What are they worried about? What has worked or not worked before?
These conversations do not slow things down. They lead to better placement decisions. Consideration of friends, school, activities and familiarity are all really important for children coming into care.
When children feel heard, trust builds, stability improves, and they have a better chance to settle and respond to support for trauma.
No single solution fits every situation. But the direction is clear: prioritize family and connection where possible, invest in therapeutic foster homes, and take the time to listen to the children at the center of the decision.
Because where a child lives is not just a placement decision, it shapes how they experience being cared for and loved.