Foster care is a system by which adults care for minor children who are not able to live with their biological parents. In the United States, many states have provisions for voluntary or involuntary foster care. Voluntary foster care may be in circumstances where a parent is unable or unwilling to care for a child. For instance, a child may have behavioral problems requiring specialized treatment. Involuntary foster care may be implemented when a child is removed from the normal caregiver for his/her own safety. A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... Parents who physically gave birth to the child in person. ...

Requirements to be a foster parent vary by jurisdiction, as do monetary reimbursement and other benefits which they receive. In some states, foster parents may be single or a couple, younger or older adults, with or without biological children in their home. Often, "empty nesters" whose children have grown up and left the home may choose to take in foster children.

Foster care is intended to be a temporary living situation for children. The goal of foster care is to reunify with their parent or guardian or find another suitable permanent living arrangement. This may include an adoptive home, guardianship, or placement with a relative. At times, the bond that develops during foster care will lead to the foster parents adopting the child. In some instances, children may be placed in a long-term foster placement. For older adolescents, a foster care program may offer education and resources to prepare for a transition to independent living.

Foster homes in the United States

In the United States, foster home licensing requirements vary from state to state but are generally overseen by the state's Department of "Social Services" or "Human Services". A social worker is a person employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. ...

In many states children unable to function in a foster home, usually due to behavioral problems stemming from child abuse and neglect, are placed in Residential Treatment Facilities (RTFs) or other such group homes meant to treat children with similar backgrounds. The focus of treatment in such facilities is to prepare the child for a return to a foster home, to an adoptive home, or to the biological parents when applicable. However, adoption of children who are considered a special need in foster care is an on going social problem within the United States. Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child. ...

Recent United States Foster Care Legislation

On November 19, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed a new foster care law (The Adoption and Safe Families Act 1997, [1]) which dramatically reduced the time children are allowed to remain in foster care before being available for adoption. The new law requires state child welfare agencies to identify cases where "aggravated circumstances" make permanent separation of child from biological family the best option for the safety and well-being of the child. William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Adoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent or parents other than the birth parents. ... In the United States, the child welfare system is a set of government services designed to protect children and encourage family stability. ...

External links

• Too many stops Audio documentary documenting former foster child's life story. Aired on CBC Radio Outfront on September 12, 2002.
• Adoptioninformation.com - Wiki-style site for everything adoption and foster.
• FosterParenting.com Extensive resource about foster parenting and foster care
• FosterCares.org Non-profit organization providing free clothing, toys, and equipment to foster children throughout the state of Georgia.
• Alabama Baptist Childrens Home Baptist agency that provides private and public foster care
• Aging Out Aging Out is a documentary produced by PBS that chronicles the obstacles faced by teens who 'age out' of the foster care system.
• Foster Care of Family Care for Children and Youth. A private, nonprofit social service agency providing children with specialized, community-based foster care services.