Iowa Code § 232.1

This chapter shall be liberally construed to the end that each child under the jurisdiction of the court shall receive, preferably in the child’s own home, the care, guidance and control that will best serve the child’s welfare and the best interest of the state. When a child is removed from the control of the child’s parents, the court shall secure the least restrictive care for the child’s placement with a preference for placement with the child’s family or a fictive kin.