Types of Foster Care

Foster care is the opportunity to provide a temporary home to children who are under the guardianship of the state and cannot live with their birth parents. These children are in the care of the state because they have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Every child wants (and deserves) a permanent home and family. In foster care the goal is to help children return to their birth families. When children cannot go home, an adoptive family is sought. Many foster families adopt the children for whom they have been caring.

Foster care has a variety of programs in which children receive services. The two main types of foster care services are traditional and specialized.

Traditional

Traditional foster care services include providing shelter, food, nurturing and love to a child who is in the care of the state. Children in traditional foster care come from a range of backgrounds and all have individual needs.

Specialized

Specialized foster care services include all those services that are part of traditional foster care and may also include caring for a child with special physical, emotional, psychological or social needs. Families who foster children with specialized needs often require additional training in medical services, behavior management, and working with professionals who provide service to their children. A child with specialized needs will often require more frequent doctor visits, or visits with other professionals, and may require special equipment or services inside the home.