Private foster care agencies, such as Crossroads Youth Services, DBA work with the State to place kids in safe, loving, homes. These agencies can be for-profit, or nonprofit, but all must work with the State in order to license foster homes. The State reimburses private foster care agencies for the care of each child, depending on their needs. This funding is often inadequate to provide the kinds of specialized care youth in foster care require.

Utah Foster Care Foundation belongs to the state, Crossroads Youth Services, DBA is a private agency contracted with the state of Utah. Utah Foster Care Foundation clients are known as "Foster" children, private agencies such as Crossroads Youth Services clients are known as "Proctor" children.

Following a lawsuit and settlement agreement in 1994, the state legislature increased funding for the state’s child welfare system (Division of Child and Family Services) to improve services to children and families.  At this time, the number of licensed foster/adoptive families in Utah was declining.  Governor Michael Leavitt and Lt. Governor Olene Walker, commissioned a panel to study the child welfare system and address the decreasing number of available foster families in Utah. The panel recommended the creation of a public/private partnership with a non-profit organization charged with developing innovative strategies to recruit, train and assist the Division in their support of foster/adoptive families.