 Group homes for children provide an alternative to traditional foster care, though family support to the birth, adoptive, and foster families are often first recommended.Several sources state that, in comparison to other placement alternatives, this form of care is the most restrictive for youth in the foster care system.The term group home is often confused with lock-down treatment centers, which are required to have eyes-on every so often due to behavioral and mental challenges of the children and youth they serve.