Children are temporarily removed from their homes and placed in foster care for a variety of reasons. They may be experiencing abuse or neglect, or parents may be unable to care for them due to domestic violence, medical issues, substance abuse or other unique circumstances. Foster parents provide temporary care that can have a lifelong, positive impact on youth.
Children in foster care live with their relatives, foster parents, or – if neither of these is available – in group facilities. With education and support for the birth parents, more than half of children who go into foster care return to their birth families.
There are also specialized types of foster care, which often require different skill sets like training in education, social work or trauma. To learn more, navigate to the top of this page, and click on Specialized Foster Care.