Final answer:
The statement that foster care and adoption programs are institutional approaches to child welfare services is true. These systems provide safety and well-being for children who cannot live with their biological families, with over 400,000 children in foster care in the U.S. alone.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foster care and adoption programs are indeed institutional approaches to child welfare services. This statement is true. These programs are formalized systems that operate within the framework of state and local governments to ensure the safety and well-being of children who are unable to live with their biological families. In the United States, there are over 400,000 children in foster care, and a significant number of these children are waiting for adoption. Various factors such as parental mental health issues, drug use, incarceration, or abuse may lead children to become part of the foster care system. Foster parents, whether relatives or non-relatives, are certified by the state and provide care under agency supervision. Formal adoption provides legal permanency for children when they cannot return to their biological families, and in the U.S., adoption has been on the rise, including among same-sex couples.