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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DOVCU Learning Brief 1: The effect of DOVCU’s integrated package of interventions on children and families at risk of separation

ChildFund International, 2018

This learning brief analyzes quantitative data from the first of the project’s stated objectives: examining the extent to which “Deinstitutionalization of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Uganda” (DOVCU) project interventions decrease vulnerabilities for households and children at risk of separation.

In Limbo: Exploring income and housing barriers for reunifying Tasmanian families

Lindsey Fidler - Anglicare Tasmania, Social Action and Research Centre, 2018

This report looks at the nature and extent of the income and housing challenges faced by Tasmanian families who have had children removed by Child Safety Services, and the impacts those challenges may have on positive family reunification outcomes.

In and beyond the care setting: relationships between young people and care workers

Vicki Welch, Nadine Fowler, Ewan Ross, Richard Withington, Kenny McGhee - CELCIS, 2018

This review seeks to identify and summarise findings from literature about the nature of relationships that develop between older children and young people, and those caring for them within and beyond residential and fostering settings.

Understanding the experience and outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care during the Twentieth Century

Elizabeth Fernandez, Jung-Sook Lee and Patricia McNamara - UNSW Sydney, 2018

This report details a component of the UNSW national Long-term Outcomes of Forgotten Australians Study reported in No child should grow up like this which explored the in-care and after-care experiences of adults who spent their childhoods in institutions and foster care during the period 1930 to 1989. In this report, the focus is on Stolen Generations survivors and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals who participated in the research.

Attuning to the past while aging out of care

Ole Steen Kristensen - Aarhus University, Denmark, 2018

This systematic review sought to address the lack of knowledge as to what creates setbacks and rejections during young people's transition out of care and how the youth may overcome influences of their foster care history and their experiences while in care.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness of Family Group Conferencing in Child Welfare: Effectiveness, Moderators, and Level of FGC Completion

Sharon Dijkstra, Jessica J. Asscher, Maja Dekovic, Geert Jan J. M. Stams, and Hanneke E. Creemers - Child Maltreatment, 2018

The present study examined the effectiveness of Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in child welfare in the Netherlands.

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Voicing young and older adult care-leavers in Belgium: How the experience of being in care shapes narratives of the self

An Nuytiens, Ilse Luyten, Jenneke Christiaens, Els Dumortier - International Journal of Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 2018

This paper discusses the results of a qualitative study on adult care leavers in Flanders (Belgium).

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Embracing a “Youth Welfare” System: A Guide to Capacity Building

Capacity Building Center for States - Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018

This resource from the Capacity Building Center for States in the U.S. provides guidance on adapting child welfare services to better meet the needs of youth (ages 15 to 24) in care.

The Impact on Education of Children Admitted into Care after Experiencing Abuse

Neil Zammit & Charlotte Moore - MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice, 2018

This study focuses on the impact of abuse on the child’s education while it explores how these children are being supported in care institutions to minimize and overcome the effects of abuse on their educational journey.

Romania: Country Fact Sheet

Opening Doors for Europe's Children, 2018

In 2018, there were still 185 institutions in Romania housing 6,632 children. 2,997 children with disabilities were living in 81 institutions for children with disabilities in Romania. The majority of children in out-of-home care were placed in family based care, including 18,317 children in foster care and 18,437 children in kinship care.