Foster Care | Better Care Network

Foster Care

The term “foster care” is used in a variety of ways, and, consequently, it often causes confusion and miscommunication. In the industrialized world it is generally used to refer to formal, temporary placements made by the State with families that are trained, monitored and compensated at some level. In many developing countries, however, fostering is kinship care or other placement with a family, the objective(s) of which may include the care of the child, the child’s access to education, and/or the child’s doing some type of work for the foster family.

Such care is informal and unregulated by the State. Foster care can also be understood as formal care, typically provided by adults who are not related to the child, but may include formalized kinship care. It is usually for a limited period until the child can return home or move into a more permanent placement such as adoption.

In emergency situations, such as armed conflict, informal fostering often occurs spontaneously when a family takes in an unaccompanied child. Also, in some emergency situations, agencies have organized a quasi-formal type of foster care to ensure immediate, family-based care for unaccompanied children. Such foster care should be formally arranged by the local authority or child protection organisation and include assessing each child’s best interests; screening, training, and monitoring of caretakers; and planning for the longer term needs of each child.

Foster care can provide the advantages of family-based care within a child’s own community. In some situations, particularly spontaneous care initiated during an emergency, it can become de facto adoption in settings where State child protection services and formalization of care arrangements are very limited or do not exist.

Foster care plays an important role in a situation where a child’s own family is not providing adequately for his or her care. It can provide protection and care for the child while the family situation is improved, with the eventual aim of family reunification.

It is vital that children are provided opportunities to express their wishes and concerns regarding with whom they live and have contact. The appointment of a legal guardian is a means of ensuring their opinions are taken into account.

Foster caretakers often receive support to meet the child’s needs and prevent placement breakdown. This may include parenting guidance and access to basic services for the child. Payment for care requires thoughtful consideration and should not encourage the separation of children from their families, or the use of a child for financial gain. All placements should be regulated to ensure the standards of care protect the child and encourage her development.

This body of literature provides examples from around the world of spontaneous, informal and formal fostering. It includes guidance on standards of care and child care policy.

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Tools for Transformation: Building a Compassionate Child Welfare System - Recommendations from Foster Care Alumni

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), 01 Jul 2018

CCAI’s Foster Youth Internship Program® is a highly esteemed congressional internship for young adults who spent their formative years in the U.S. foster care system. In this annual policy report, the interns focus on subjects they are personally passionate about due to their experiences and understanding after living in foster care and make personal recommendations for improving the U.S. foster care system.

Housing for Young Adults in Extended Federally Funded Foster Care

Amy Dworsky and Denali Dasgupta - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 01 Jul 2018

This brief begins to address knowledge gaps of best practices for housing young adults in extended care, the housing options currently available to those young adults, and how those options vary across and within states in the US.

Memo from CalYOUTH: Differences in Social Support at Age 19 by Extended Foster Care Status and Placement Type

Nathanael J. Okpych, Keunhye Park, Huiling Feng, Adrianna Torres García, and Mark E. Courtney - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 01 Jul 2018

This memo investigates two questions that pertain to extended foster care and social support. First, are there differences in the types and sources of social support between young people who remain in care past age 18 and young people who exit care? Second, among nonminor dependents, are there differences in the types and sources of social support between youth living in different placement types?

Fostering Better Outcomes: The Government response to the Education Select Committee report into fostering and Foster Care in England

Department for Education, 01 Jul 2018

This paper sets out the government’s response to two reports into foster care: The Education Select Committee Inquiry into Fostering and the Foster Care in England report, an independent review commissioned by the Department for Education. The response describes the government’s vision for foster care and improvements for the system, based on the recommendations of the two reports.

The Needs of Carers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People in Foster Care in Australia: A Systematic Literature Review

Djala Kalinin, Dr John Gilroy, Aunty Sue Pinckham - Macquarie University and The University of Sydney, 01 Jul 2018

The purpose of this study is to support the funding of Aboriginal-controlled research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under government-administered foster care arrangements.

“A positive guiding hand”: A qualitative examination of youth-initiated mentoring and the promotion of interdependence among foster care youth

Renée Spencer, Alison L. Drew, Grace Gowdy, John Paul Horn - Children and Youth Services Review, 30 Jun 2018

This qualitative interview study examined experiences of youth-initiated mentoring relationships (YIM) among youth transitioning out of the foster care system.

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Recognition of education and schooling in case files for children and young people placed in out-of-home care

Ingrid Höjer, Helena Lindberg, Bo Nielsen, Jan-Eric Gustafsson, Helena Johansson - Children and Youth Services Review, 30 Jun 2018

The aim of the article is to describe and discuss how issues related to schooling and educational achievement are recognized and addressed in social services case files for children and young people placed in out-of-home care (OHC) in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden.

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Coaching Parents About Children's Needs and Navigating the Child Protection and Other Systems

Frank Ainsworth and Patricia Hansen - Children Australia, 25 Jun 2018

This article reviews developments in the Australian NSW child protection system which aim to reduce the number of children in state care.

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Conceptualizing effective legal representation for Foster youth: A group concept mapping study

J. Jay Miller, Jacquelynn F. Duron, Jessica Donohue-Dioh, Jennifer M.Geiger - Children and Youth Services Review, 25 Jun 2018

This study used Group Concept Mapping (GCM) with a sample of 31 foster youth and alumni to explicate a conceptual framework for effective legal representation.

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The Peer Relationships of Those Who Have Experienced Adoption or Foster Care: A Meta‐Analysis

Haylee K. DeLuca, Shannon E. Claxton, Manfred H. M. van Dulmen - Journal of Research on Adolescence, 25 Jun 2018

This meta‐analytic review examines the presence and quality of close peer relationships for adoptees and individuals with foster care experience.

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