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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USA: Trends in Foster Care and Adoption (2002-2012)

U.S. Children's Bureau, 13 Sep 2013

This chart produced by the US Government's Children's Bureau includes data submitted to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) by US States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico by July 19, 2013.

USA: Data Brief on recent Demographic Trends in Foster Care 2002-2012

U.S. Administration on Children, Youth and Families, 13 Sep 2013

Over the last decade, the U.S. foster care population has undergone a substantial reduction in size and experienced a shift in its racial and ethnic composition. Using data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), this data brief summarizes those changes and provides new detail that identifies the geographic areas most responsible for these national trends.

Moving forward on alternative care: Assessment of the Foster Care Pilot Project in Albania

Dr.Irene Stevens, Dr.Graham Connelly & Dr.Ian Milligan - CELCIS, 01 Sep 2013

This paper presents an evaluation of the pilot foster care project (FCPP) in Albania.

Children's Views of Living with Informal Kinship Carers: Social Networks, Stigmas, and Attachment to Carers

Elaine Farmers, Julie Selwyn, and Sarah Meakings from the School of Policy Studies at University of Bristol, UK, 01 Sep 2013

This study funded by Big Lottery and undertaken in partnership between the University of Bristol and Buttle UK, a grant-giving charity for vulnerable children, aims to fill gaps in understanding about the experiences of children living with kins, and in particular how children in informal kinship care view their situation.

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Framework for Excellence in Foster Care

Key Assets, 01 Aug 2013

This framework outlines what the Key Assets team understand by quality family based foster care and recognises the collective responsibility to promote the rights of children worldwide. Seven standards for providing quality foster care are outlined in this publication.

Better Care Network, 22 Jul 2013

India submitted its third and fourth combined report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Young foster children and their carers: An approach to assessing relationships

Sarah Mares, Marianne Torres - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 12 Jul 2013

This article outlines an approach to assessing the quality of relationships between young foster children and their carers.

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The Alternative Care Panel (Video)

Child’s i Foundation, 11 Jul 2013

This video describes the work of the Alternative Care Panel in Uganda, a panel composed of professionals who assess the stability of potential adoptive or foster parents to determine if the parents can provide for needy and vulnerable children, with the ultimate goal of keeping children out of institutional settings and in family-based care.

Country Care Review: Israel

Better Care Network, 04 Jul 2013

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of its examination during the sixty-third session (27 May-14 June 2013) of Israel’s second to fourth periodic reports to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as other care-related concluding observations, ratification dates, and links to the Universal Periodic Review and Hague Intercountry Adoption Country Profile.

Parenting a Child Who Has Been Sexually Abused: A Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 01 Jul 2013

This factsheet is designed for caregivers and discusses how they can help children in their care by educating themselves about child sexual abuse, establishing guidelines for safety and privacy in their families, and understanding when and how to seek help if needed.