What is Foster Care?

Foster care means the placement of a child into the legal custody or legal authority of a county department of human/social services for physical placement of a child in a certified or licensed facility. Foster care is intended to provide a substitute family for children for a temporary period of time, during which the family can work towards the goal of reunification. Foster care is not a punishment for behavior and children in foster care are not bad. Children in foster care may have a variety of behaviors as a result of being abused and/or neglected; such as differed appearance due to physical abuse (bruises/cuts, low weight), parent-like behavior, hoarding food, shy and reserved, very talkative, etc. Children and Youth may need foster care placements for a variety of reasons:

    • They have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused
    • They have been neglected medically, educationally, or a parent fails to protect them from abuse or neglect
    • The physical or mental incapacity of their parent(s) creates an unsafe situation
    • They have been abandoned
    • The drug, alcohol, or other chemical abuse by their parent(s) has created an unsafe environment for the child
    • Injurious environment
    • Youth in conflict
    • When a child has been deemed beyond the control of his/her parent(s)