Though various forms of foster systems had existed in the US since the mid-19th century, widespread aid to children in need was not organized until the early 20th century. Before then, the emphasis was on placing children in new homes, not on the safety or quality of those homes. In the early 20th century, however, new legislation ensured that the homes the children were placed in were suitable and were monitored to ensure the wellbeing of the child. In 1912 the Department of Labor established a Children’s Bureau, and in 1919, the Children’s Bureau published Minimum Standards for Child Welfare. These standards emphasized the importance of placing children who needed foster care into a stable home environment. With these changes, the emphasis shifted from organizations such as orphanages toward individual foster homes. In the 1950s, the number of children in foster care was equal to the amount in institutions. By the 1960s, the number of children in foster care was double the number of children in institutions. Federal funding to support foster care began in 1963.

Large social changes to the adoption system didn’t come until the 1970s and 1980s. In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was passed in the US.