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Foster care in child protection is going through a major crisis. Understanding this crisis requires a critical analysis of the child welfare system of which foster care forms a part. Changes in the profession of family assistant have destabilised the system, when they have not been accompanied by transformations of organizations and practices. The 2016 Child Protection Law in France that reoriented child protection towards the needs of the child opens up opportunities for foster care. Based on a critical analysis of child protection practices, this article proposes the concepts of providing for the children’s needs, impeded parenthood and the development of parenting skills to reconsider foster care practices.