When parents are unable to care for their children in their own homes the Department is obligated to provide substitute care. These children come to the Department either through a court order or through a parent's voluntary request for substitute care. In either case the Department's goal is to alleviate or mitigate the causes necessitating placement; or in those circumstances where a child is unable to return home, to provide the child with a permanent new home in a timely fashion.
110 CMR, § 1.03