The purpose of this project is to highlight how foster care affects mental health in foster youth. The project reviews the child welfare system in the United States, with a focus on understanding the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Massachusetts in particular. The review examines regulations and policies in Massachusetts regarding ensuring child safety in general, and the role of foster care specifically. The project examines known impacts of foster care involvement on children's mental health as a result of foster care involvement, including when abuse or neglect occur within foster care settings. As someone who was in foster care until the age of 8, my experience and background inspired my interest in examining research addressing the benefits and harms of foster care and how it impacts child development and well-being. The project draws from interviews with Massachusetts Department of Children and Families caseworkers to provide qualitative data to reflect on and explore deeper the review of scholarly literature on the topic. Conclusions of the project include a recognition of both benefits and harms of foster care involvement on the safety and mental health of children, as well concrete suggestions to improve the system. The project calls attention to the ways in which the child welfare system, and specifically foster care, aspire to support the needs of vulnerable children and families, and areas where the system can be improved to better achieve those goals.