These standards are intended to be goals for the continuous improvement of foster family services to children and are thought to represent practices that are currently considered to be desirable in providing a social service for individual children in a way that promotes their well-being. The changing patterns of foster family care and basic principles underlying practice in foster family service are discussed in the introduction. The following areas are described by the standards: (1) foster family service as a child welfare service and the types of foster family care; (2) legal rights and responsibilities of parents, before, during, and after placement of their child in a foster care home; (3) services to the child (agency responsibilities and appropriate social work); (4) requirements, selection, development and use of foster homes; (5) proper organization and administration of foster family service by a designated agency; and (6) planning and organization of contingent community services and provisions to support foster family care. (ED)