Types of Foster Care in Massachusetts: Respite, Therapeutic, and Teen Placements

Not all foster care in Massachusetts looks the same. The type of license you apply for — and the type of placement you agree to accept — shapes everything from the children you care for to the training requirements, stipend levels, and support you receive. Understanding the categories before you apply helps you enter the right pathway for your household rather than discovering a mismatch six months in.

Standard Family Foster Care

This is the most common license type. A standard Family Foster Care license allows you to accept placements of children from infants through teenagers, depending on the preferences and capacity you document during your home study.

Standard placements cover a wide range:

• Young children awaiting reunification with birth families
• School-age children whose cases are active in Juvenile Court
• Teenagers in DCF custody for any reason
• Sibling groups (when your home has the physical space)

The stipend for standard care runs from $34.12 per day (ages 0–5) to $40.39 per day (ages 13+), effective July 1, 2025.

Respite Foster Care

Respite care is short-term, relief-focused foster care — typically a weekend, a week, or occasionally up to a month — for children who are already placed in another licensed foster home. The purpose is to give the primary foster family a break and prevent burnout.

Massachusetts law requires DCF to provide licensed foster families with at least 10 days of paid respite care per year as part of the Foster Parent Bill of Rights. Respite caregivers fulfill this obligation for the primary family.

A respite license is a separate, dedicated license for families who want to provide this type of care specifically. Respite caregivers are typically people who:

• Are not ready for a full-time placement but want to be involved in the system
• Have households that work better with shorter, planned placements
• Are experienced foster parents who want to support other families while managing their own

Respite caregivers receive a daily stipend for each day a child is in their home. The application process is the same as standard licensing, including MAPP training and background checks.

Intensive Foster Care (IFC) / Therapeutic Foster Care

Massachusetts uses the term Intensive Foster Care (IFC) — sometimes called Therapeutic Foster Care in other states — for placements involving children with the highest clinical and behavioral needs. These are children who have experienced significant trauma, have serious behavioral health diagnoses, may have previously disrupted multiple placements, or require a high level of daily clinical support.

IFC is almost exclusively managed through private agencies contracted by DCF (such as HopeWell, The Home for Little Wanderers, JRI, Massachusetts Mentor, or Devereux). The daily stipend for IFC is significantly higher than standard care: $73.35 to $82.45 per day, which includes both a base stipend for the family and an operational payment to the agency to support clinical services.

What comes with the higher stipend:

• Weekly clinical visits from a professional support team
• 24-hour crisis availability from the agency
• More intensive pre-placement training in trauma and behavioral intervention
• Active case management from the agency in parallel with DCF

What you are agreeing to in IFC:

• More complex behaviors, including aggression, self-harm, running away, or severe trauma responses
• Involvement of multiple systems (mental health, special education, Juvenile Court)
• Higher emotional and logistical demands on your household

IFC is not a path for someone new to working with traumatized children. Most agencies require prior fostering experience or a professional background in child welfare, mental health, or education before approving a family for intensive placements.

Foster Care for Teens in Massachusetts

Fostering teenagers is its own distinct category of need and challenge. Massachusetts has a significant shortage of families willing to accept teenage placements, particularly teens who are 14 or older, have behavioral histories, or have experienced multiple prior placements.

What makes teen placements different:

Legal status: Teenagers in DCF care often have more complex legal situations — active C&P cases, connections to the juvenile justice system (through CRA/CHINS cases), or older Care and Protection cases where TPR has been pursued but not finalized.

School and McKinney-Vento: Teens have stronger ties to their schools and communities. Massachusetts law (McKinney-Vento Act implementation) protects their right to remain in their school of origin even when placed in a different town, with DCF-provided transportation if needed. This coordination is part of the foster parent's role.

Emotional reality: Teens who have been in the system for years may present significant testing behavior, distrust of adults, and independent coping mechanisms that look like defiance. They also often have extraordinary resilience and specific gifts that emerge in stable, consistent environments.

Plummer Youth Promise is a Massachusetts agency specifically focused on permanency for older youth. For families interested specifically in teen placements, Plummer is worth contacting directly.

DCF has an increased financial incentive structure for families willing to accept teenagers: the daily stipend steps up at age 13 and IFC rates apply when clinical needs justify it.

Which Type Is Right for Your Household?

If you are new to foster care and want to start: Standard family foster care, with a preference for an age range and level of need that matches your household's current capacity. Be honest in your home study about what you are ready for. Starting with a realistic match leads to better outcomes than accepting a placement that strains your household from day one.

If you work full-time and have limited bandwidth for long-term placements: Respite care may be a meaningful way to contribute without the sustained commitment of a full placement.

If you have professional experience in child mental health, special education, or social work: IFC is worth seriously considering. The higher stipend reflects real work, but families with the right background often find it more manageable than they expected.

If you specifically want to foster teenagers: Tell your licensing worker explicitly. There is significant need, and families who clearly articulate this preference are often prioritized for teen placements.

The Massachusetts Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a placement type self-assessment to help you identify which license type fits your household's realistic capacity — before you are in the middle of the home study and feeling pressure to say yes to more than you are ready for.

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