What is Foster Care?

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services describes foster care as temporary care provided to children who cannot live with their parents or guardians. Children enter foster care because they or their families are in crisis.  Many times, these children have experienced unsafe conditions, abuse, and neglect or have parents who are unable to care for them. 

Children often come to the attention of a child welfare agency via reports of child abuse or neglect. Social workers investigate the allegations involved, and if a child’s current living situation is deemed unsafe, the agency seeks a judge’s approval to remove the child from their current living situation.  If a judge approves of a removal, that court continues to oversee the child’s case and makes decisions about their future. 

To make the most informed decision, judges rely on a network of caring professionals who together work to provide support, care, and advocacy to children during their time in foster care.  Those caseworkers oversee the safety and needs of children in foster care. This work can include keeping kids in school, obtaining medical care, and maintaining their connections with family. Caseworkers are also responsible for securing stable, long-term family situations for each child as soon as possible, which can be a resource home (commonly known as a foster home) with resource parents, in a group home with staff, or with a relative caregiver. These children range from newborns to teenagers and, on average, will remain in care for more than a year. In many cases, children move from placement to placement and experience little stability while in the foster care system. 

While the goal of foster care is to provide a home and some respite, it is often a complex and frightening experience for a child. It is during this time they need the support and essential items more than ever.  

If you would like more information or are interested in becoming a resource parent, please email info@settothrive.org, and we can connect you with one of our partner foster care agencies.