Five commentaries: looking to the future

A series of responses from experts representing various disciplines and backgrounds to the question on how can the child welfare system be improved to better support families and promote the healthy development of children in foster care are presented. Among others, Perez claims that it is essential for the foster care system to shift its current paradigm of one-size-fit-all service delivery to one that is developmentally sound and addresses individual needs. He further asserts that although the foster care system might not be the most desirable parent, the potential exists for the system to have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of the nation's most vulnerable populations.