Final answer:
In Iowa, when parents cannot care for their children, grandparents, other relatives, or state-certified non-relative foster parents may assume responsibility. Foster care involves guidelines and financial support from an agency, with local laws shaping child welfare practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
Under Iowa law, various individuals can be responsible for the care of a child. When parents are unable to provide care for their children, responsibility can fall to grandparents, other relatives, or non-relative foster parents. Grandparents often become primary caregivers due to circumstances such as parental drug abuse, incarceration, or abandonment.
The state's child welfare system can also intervene, leading to foster care placements where foster parents are certified by the state and receive support from child welfare agencies.
About 25 percent of children who are not living with biological or adoptive parents are placed with nonrelatives, including foster parents who fulfill state-enforced guidelines. For those placed in kinship care, their caregivers may also receive financial support.