Adriel Blog > April 29, 2024
What is Foster Care and How Does It Work?
What is foster care, but a solution to a problem we dearly wish did not exist?
Being part of the solution starts with understanding the problem. According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Foster and Adopt website, “In Ohio, nearly 15,000 children are living in out-of-home placement settings every day.”
This number highlights the profound impact on these children, emphasizing the urgency of providing them with stable, supportive environments for their well-being and development.
We hope you’ll be inspired to get involved and make a difference with deeper answers to “What is foster care and how does it work?”
What is Foster Care?
Foster care is a temporary solution to support children who do not have family available to care for them or whose family environment is not safe or healthy. State-licensed and accredited organizations administer foster care programs on a regional or state-by-state basis. Adriel serves kids and families from every county in Ohio.
According to the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), foster care dates back centuries with origins in faith-based communities, which is also where Adriel began in 1896, in the spirit of Christian love.
The objective of foster care is to provide the children a loving home until we can reunite them with their own family, and work on adoption if the children's return to their families is not possible. It involves extensive training, resources, and a strong community support system that ensures foster families are equipped to provide the best possible care for the children entrusted to them.
How Does Foster Care Work?
Children come into foster care for a variety of reasons. Their families often struggle with poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, and child abuse or neglect in the home. When the need arises, custodial agencies seeking placement or respite for children make referrals to Adriel (or other administering organizations), which then seeks to match the child with a foster family in their local community. The need is everywhere.
We are constantly working to find, train, license, and support caring individuals in our community who are willing and able to help a child during those times of need. We also license and provide support for those who provide kinship care, which means you are a caregiver for the child of a relative, for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew, or a close family friend like a Godchild. We provide services in support of family preservation for biological parents and families to prevent the need for foster care placement and to ensure that families who have been reunified can remain together safely.
The goals of foster care are especially important. While foster care by definition involves temporary placement outside of the child’s biological family, the goal is always family preservation, reuniting the family whenever it is possible and safe to do so. Success usually means one of three things:
1. We safely reunite the child and birth family for a sustainable future.
2. The foster parent or another suitable adoptive family adopts the child if the child is unable to return to their family.
3. The child transitions safely to adulthood when they “age out” of foster care if the child is unable to return to family and does not wish to be adopted. Former foster youth may obtain financial support and services through the Bridges Program until age 21.
Ultimately, foster care means the child is loved, cared for, and given the opportunities all children deserve.
Be Part of the Solution to What Is Foster Care
Getting involved is a big step, but we’re here to make it as easy, rewarding, and successful as possible. It starts with a desire to help, which can come in many forms, but the greatest need is for more loving families to become foster families. There is no requirement or preference for foster parents to be a traditional two-parent family - foster families come in many shapes and sizes, and we love them all.
Becoming part of the foster care solution is a big decision, but it’s easy to get started. All it takes is a little exploration of what’s involved and ways we help you, a decision in your heart, and an inquiry form that will get you to the official foster parent application. From there, we’ll help you along the journey to discovering the gift of becoming a foster parent.
Join the conversation with Adriel on Facebook or contact us to learn more.
