The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has recently recommended the use of relationship custody in youth custody facilities in Ontario. There is no clear definition of relationship custody or recognition of the theory that underlies it. A thorough analysis of the available material on relationship custody indicates that a strengths perspective as well as a positive psychology approach underlie the relationship custody model. This paper connects relationship custody, strengths perspective and positive psychology to Adlerian theory and posits that greater consistency to Adlerian theory would strengthen the relationship custody model. A new definition of relationship custody is presented.