(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.The Legislature finds that it is a basic tenet of child welfare practice and the law that a child be placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting available in close proximity to the home of his or her parents which meets the needs of the child, and that a child be placed in a permanent home in a timely manner.
(2) PLACEMENT PRIORITY.

(a) When a child cannot safely remain at home with a parent, out-of-home placement options must be considered in the following order:

1. Nonoffending parent.
2. Relative caregiver.
3. Adoptive parent of the child’s sibling, when the department or community-based care lead agency is aware of such sibling.
4. Fictive kin with a close existing relationship to the child.
5. Nonrelative caregiver that does not have an existing relationship with the child.
6. Licensed foster care.
7. Group or congregate care.
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 39.4021

  • Caregiver: means the parent, legal custodian, permanent guardian, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child's welfare as defined in subsection (54). See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Foster care: means care provided a child in a foster family or boarding home, group home, agency boarding home, child care institution, or any combination thereof. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Out-of-home: means a placement outside of the home of the parents or a parent. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Parent: means a woman who gives birth to a child and a man whose consent to the adoption of the child would be required under…. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Sibling: means :
    (a) A child who shares a birth parent or legal parent with one or more other children; or
    (b) A child who has lived together in a family with one or more other children whom he or she identifies as siblings. See Florida Statutes 39.01
(b) Except as otherwise provided for in ss. 39.4022 and 39.4024, sibling groups must be placed in the same placement whenever possible and if placement together is in the best interest of each child in the sibling group. Placement decisions for sibling groups must be made pursuant to ss. 39.4022 and 39.4024.
(c) Except as otherwise provided for in this chapter, a change to a child’s physical or legal placement after the child has been sheltered but before the child has achieved permanency must be made in compliance with this section. Placements made pursuant to s. 63.082(6) are exempt from this section.