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.

Displaying 1501 - 1510 of 2182

Browse Other Topics

Preventing Parent-Child Separation: Myths and Facts from a KAP Survey in Central and Western Liberia

Mónica Ruiz-Casares, Russell Steele, Rashid Bangura and Geoffrey Oyat - Global Social Welfare, 16 Aug 2017

This paper presents the findings from a population-based, multi-stage random cluster knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey of child caregivers in Liberia, revealing the primary reasons for parent-child separation and common misconceptions about alternative care.

View Article

Experiences and Outcomes of Adults Who Endured Maltreatment as Children in Care in Australia in the Twentieth Century

Elizabeth Fernandez & Jung-Sook Lee - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This study explored the experiences of maltreatment and outcomes of adult care-leavers in Australia who lived in out-of-home care as children.

View Chapter

Interventions Designed for Children with Histories of Institutionalization and Placed in Foster or Adoptive Families

Maureen Riley-Behringer and Victor Groza - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This paper provides evidence-based guidance on the use of family interventions involving children with a history of institutionalization prior to their placement in family-based care through foster care, adoption, or reunification with their families.

View Chapter

Beyond the Silence: Emotional Experiences of Adolescents in Foster Care

Mmathebe Mampane & Eleanor Ross - Southern African Journal of Social Work & Development , 01 Aug 2017

This qualitative study explored the emotional experiences of 15 adolescents placed in foster care in South Africa.

View Article

The Road to Adulthood: Aligning Child Welfare Practice With Adolescent Brain Development

The Annie E. Casey Foundation , 22 Jul 2017

This paper offers recommendations for child welfare professionals, caregivers and systems to use the research on adolescent brain development to work effectively with youth in or emerging from foster care.

Africa Expert Consultation on Violence against Children in All Care Settings

Better Care Network & African Child Policy Forum, with support from CRS, Family for Every Child, Hope and Homes for Children and Save the Children , 21 Jul 2017

On 21-22 June 2017, the African Child Policy Forum and Better Care Network - with the support of Catholic Relief Services, Family for Every Child, Hope and Homes for Children and Save the Children - convened 40 leaders representing child rights bodies, regional economic communities, national governments and civil society in Nairobi, Kenya for the Africa Expert Consultation: Violence Against Children in All Care Settings.

The fostering system in England: Evidence review

Mary Baginsky, Sarah Gorin and Claire Sands - Quest Research and Evaluation Ltd, England Department for Education (Publisher), 17 Jul 2017

Commissioned by England's Department for Education, this review of the fostering system in England provides a look into the details of the foster care system, how it functions and how children in care are impacted by it, and identifies gaps and areas for improvement.

Exit Outcomes for Probation-Supervised Youth in Foster Care: An Examination of Past Child Protection Involvement

Andrea Lane Eastman & Emily Putnam-Hornstein - Child Maltreatment, 14 Jul 2017

This study investigated the connection between past child protective services involvement and type of exit from care for youth in probation-supervised foster care.

View Article

Creating Compassionate Foster Care: Lessons of Hope from Children and Families in Crisis

Janet C. Mann and Dr. Molly Kretchmar-Hendricks - Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 13 Jul 2017

This book draws on over 20 years of work in foster care, along with current attachment research and theory, to question traditional foster care models, make recommendations for improved models of care and interventions, and aid social workers and care professionals to better understand families in crisis and inform their practice.

View Book

The Mental Health and Help-Seeking Behaviour of Children and Young People in Care in Northern Ireland: Making Services Accessible and Engaging

Montserrat Fargas-Malet & Dominic McSherry - The British Journal of Social Work, 12 Jul 2017

This article presents the findings from the Mind Your Health study conducted in Northern Ireland, which analyzes the experiences of young people in care and their carers in accessing and engaging in mental health services.

View Article