What is the purpose of foster care?

The purpose of foster care is to protect children and strengthen families by providing a safe, loving and nurturing environment​. ​A foster family provides the child with  stability that is seen as complementary to the child’s biological parents rather than as a substitute family​.

​This view of the foster family as an extension to the biological family, rather than the replacement, will reduce conflict between foster parents and biological parents. A foster parent’s role is to assist the child and his/her family with reunification, if that is the plan​.

The length of time each child remains in care is determined by the needs of the child and his/her family situation​.

You, as a foster parent will require a great amount of warmth, tolerance and understanding to be temporary mother or father to someone else’s child. The experience will demand a lot of time and effort on your part as well as on the part of your children.

As a foster parent you are being asked to

• Accept and love a child who may not be able to give much in return;​
• Guide, protect and help the child develop mentally, emotionally, physically, educationally spiritually and culturally; and​
• Provide the child with food, clothing and shelter