Specialist foster care service
A foster family provides a home for children, adolescents, and young adults outside their own family
Foster care refers to the placement of children, adolescents, and young adults in a foster family. When children, for various reasons, are unable to live with their parents—either temporarily or permanently—foster families provide a safe place to live with reliable structures. Young children, in particular, depend on stable caregivers who recognize and support their individual needs.
Foster parents are thoroughly prepared, receive professional training, and are provided with expert guidance throughout the entire foster care placement. At the same time, the birth families also receive counseling and support. The goal is either to facilitate the child’s return to the family or to support all parties involved if the child is to live permanently in a different setting.
Placement in a foster family usually follows careful planning. In emergency situations, however, immediate placement may be necessary. Emergency foster families are available around the clock for this purpose. They provide children with a safe environment on short notice until the Youth Welfare Office, together with all parties involved, decides on the next steps. The appropriateness of the support is regularly reviewed.
Who can take in a foster child?
Couples, individuals, and families can all apply to become foster parents through the Foster Care Service.
In addition to an extended criminal background check and health certificates from the prospective foster parents, it must be demonstrated that their livelihood is secure and that financial considerations do not play a role in the child’s placement. Sufficient living space must be available for the foster child. Furthermore, it must be ensured that the foster parents are suitable and capable of taking in a child who is not their own and of providing comprehensive care and support.
How are foster parents selected?
Foster parents should be suitable so that a child can live well in that home.
Through their upbringing in a foster family, children and adolescents should be given the opportunity to form new relationships and develop into self-reliant individuals capable of functioning in society. Unlike a group home or residential facility, a foster family is not an institution—nor is it intended to be one. It is the private and individual family setting that is intended here for children to grow up in. Therefore, a foster parent is not required to have formal training in child-rearing.
Foster parents must be suitable to take in a child. Suitability does not refer to a fixed set of characteristics required for the child’s best interests. Rather, suitability is assessed through a collaborative process between the applicants and the professionals at the youth welfare office or the independent youth welfare agency. Consequently, the focus is on both the existing resources and abilities of potential foster families and their potential for growth. The decision regarding suitability as a foster family is always made by the Youth Welfare Office.
How are foster families supported?
Foster families face a wide range of challenges. For this reason, they are entitled to ongoing counseling and support.
The goal is to ensure that children’s personal rights are upheld in foster families and that their protection is fully guaranteed. It is essential to ensure that, within the private setting of the foster family, children’s participation is encouraged and their individual abilities are developed.
The selection, support, and counseling of foster parents constitute a distinct area of responsibility. In most youth welfare offices, these tasks are therefore consolidated into a specialized unit (foster care service) or are handled by an independent agency. Through its services, this specialized unit aims to protect foster families from becoming overwhelmed throughout the entire foster care placement by providing support and guidance appropriate to each situation. If necessary, additional support services may also be provided to the foster family. In addition, foster families receive support through group sessions, supervision, and interaction with other foster families.