"Research shows that children who have been removed from their parents but brought up by relatives do better in myriad other ways. They are less likely to have a criminal record or become homeless (as more than a quarter of those who have been in foster care or institutions do). Research also suggests why that might be so. Relatives are less likely than foster parents to request that poorly behaved children be removed. And they are more likely to take in groups of siblings, who are routinely separated in the care system."
It also discusses some of the institutional structures that make this difficult (i.e. requiring that relatives become certified foster care participants before they can receive any of the support regular foster care participants receive).
Foster care training is not too challenging, and includes fairly normal inspection of the house for safety purposes. It also comes with a lot of help for setting up food benefits, Healthcare, and so on. It's no more arduous than parenting a child with a minor health problem, and I've done both now. And it protects the child from exploitation.
Also the in-home care and coaching that social workers give to at risk parents before they consider placing a child in foster care is quite extensive.
Foster parents are regularly told that they are a last resort, and any family member do over them. Unfortunately, many parents who lose custody of their children exhaust their support structure long before the state intervenes, so they aren't likely to find help from family.
For foster children, relatives can make all the difference https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/06/09/for-foste...
"Research shows that children who have been removed from their parents but brought up by relatives do better in myriad other ways. They are less likely to have a criminal record or become homeless (as more than a quarter of those who have been in foster care or institutions do). Research also suggests why that might be so. Relatives are less likely than foster parents to request that poorly behaved children be removed. And they are more likely to take in groups of siblings, who are routinely separated in the care system."
It also discusses some of the institutional structures that make this difficult (i.e. requiring that relatives become certified foster care participants before they can receive any of the support regular foster care participants receive).