Did you read my comment? I'm not trying to be snarky - I'm just a little confused. I was in a group home for a year at 13. 100% agreed - horrible places.

I'm sorry that your children were ever in a situation where they were placed in such a "home", and I'm glad they're out now, truly. I still think a lot about the kids that I was in there with in mine, and.. yeah. I don't know. I hate not knowing what happened to any of them. Where they are now. How they turned out. I'm sure there's plenty of sound legal reasons why this doesn't happen, but I wish there was some way for kids who lived in those places to keep in touch. If you don't mind me asking, do either of your little ones ever ask about the kids they were in there with?

I agree that group homes and residentials are basically often just rebranded orphanages. I only say "often" because I only have my experience (and what I've heard from other people, or read), and maybe it's different in other states? I don't have much hope for that, but I just don't know enough to say.