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Child Placement Services

At the Division of Social Services, we believe all foster children deserve safe, permanent, nurturing homes within one year of initial placement. To achieve this, every foster child in North Carolina needs to have one single, stable foster care placement within their community.

The average foster child in North Carolina is 10-years-old and will be in the custody, or placement authority of a county Department of Social Services for more than one year before attaining permanency, a 28-month reduction since 1982.

Each of North Carolina's 100 counties continues working toward obtaining permanency for foster children by providing Child Placement Services to those who need temporary homes. These services include:

  • Providing temporary homes for children in DSS custody
  • Supervising children in foster care
  • Providing ongoing counseling and support services to help families and children reunite and stay together
  • Providing extra counseling and support for families and foster parents of children who are ill, disabled or delinquent
  • Petitioning the court for legal termination of parental rights
  • Making adoption recommendations for children unable to return home
  • Recruiting, screening, training potential foster parents, performing home studies, performing local criminal background checks to ensure the safety of potential foster children placed in the home and recommending licensure of the home

Learn more about foster care and adoptions.

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