Foster Care Law: A Primer introduces social work professionals and attorneys to the most significant and typical legal problems that may arise from the moment a neglected-abuse case enters the foster care system, to the child’s exit from it. The Primer looks at law through the eyes of the main participants: the foster child, the foster parents, biological parents, public foster care agencies, private foster care agencies, and the court. It describes the legal relationships that each has to the other. In explaining the problems most likely to occur, the Primer notes the legal authorities that must be referenced and ways that courts and legislatures have resolved the issues. There are numerous aids to help social work professionals cope with the legal milieu: a glossary of legal terms; an appendix that describes how to find cases, law journals, and legislative material; and a flow chart describing the legal life of a foster care case. Moreover, the text provides reader-friendly descriptions of the legal context. Lawyers will welcome explanations of the intricate legal relationships between such entities as public foster care agencies, their private contractors who provide foster homes, federal funding agencies, and the courts. A good selected bibliography and an appendix dedicated to liability issues will give any lawyer a running start to resolve a particular foster care case. There are no other books that give an overview of this complex field. That is because each state has its own practices, laws, and local rules that govern both foster care systems and court process. The authors have untangled this confusing web, and shown the patterns that prevail overall. The book will work for anyone trying to make sense of the foster care system, in any state.