The study focused on 8 counties responsible for approximately 55 percent of the State's foster children. Formal interviews were conducted with more than 120 social workers, health care workers, foster parents, police, lawyers, judges, and administrators. Study methods also included visits to foster care placement settings, analysis of statistical data, court observations, document investigations, and interviews with older foster children in Los Angeles County. The first two chapters of this study report provide an overview of the system: its demographics, legislative history, funding, and overall design. The remaining chapters discuss phases of case processing: investigation and disposition of child maltreatment reports, efforts to prevent removal of children from their homes, child emergency shelter care, judicial proceedings in dependency cases, family maintenance and reunification programs, long-term foster care, health care and education for foster children, and the emancipation of foster children. Recommendations include increased efforts to keep families together without compromising child safety, expanded drug and alcohol treatment programs, better health care for foster children, greater use of nonadversarial procedures to determine the best interests of the child, and priority to mechanisms for maintaining and enhancing parent-child relationships while children are in foster care. Chapter notes, tables, and charts