PRELIMINARY STATEMENT
Foster children are uniquely disadvantaged. They depend on a state agency, OCS, to manage all aspects of their lives as their legal custodian and fiduciary. This dependence on the state compounds the already extreme circumstances of their lives: placement in a stranger’s home or facility if a relative is not available; severe trauma that compelled removal from their families; separation from siblings; lack of privacy; lack of control over the most basic aspects of their lives, including where and with whom they will live; multiple moves, transient placements, and uncertainty over future placements and plans; lack of resources for successful transition from foster care; and sometimes even trauma occurring while in foster care.