Finland has a tradition of providing extensive social services. The primary objective of family care is to provide children with supportive and loving homes, and family care placements are expected to be long-term. The foster child with developmental disabilities is seen as any other child with disabilities in the community who lives with his or her own family. A case example of a 12-year-old child with mental retardation and autistic disorder and who is in specialized care illustrates Finland's family care system. This system is based on careful recruitment and selection of care providers, professionalization of family care, cost considerations, least restrictiveness, and foster care permanency. The authors conclude that specialized family care for children with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities is an important placement modality. 14 references