FOSTER PARENTS

"From A Base Of Information Comes Healing And Support"

Foster Care Description
Care of children on a full-time, temporary basis by persons other than their own parents. Also known as boarding-home care, foster care is intended to offer a supportive family environment to children whose natural parents cannot raise them because of the parents' physical or mental illness, the child's behavioral difficulties, or problems within the family environment, e.g., abuse, alcoholism, or crime. Children may be placed by an agency in group homes or with families, who receive some payment toward care. The child's parents may retain their parental rights, and the child may ultimately return home. Under permanent foster care the agency has guardianship; the child may then be available for adoption by the foster parents or others. Foster care has been extended in recent years to include care for elderly persons, on a fee basis, in the homes of people who are not family members.

A few words from our Foster Care Director

The National Foster Parent Association
Membership in the NFPA is open to anyone interested in improving the foster care system and enhancing the lives of children and families.

FOSTER PARENT COMMUNITY
Provides a chatroom and discussion board for the purpose of support.

The Foster Parent Association Directory
A state by state Directory of Foster Care Associations

Connect for Kids
Learn facts about kids in out-of-home care

Becoming a Foster or Adoptive Parent
If you're interested in becoming a foster parent, contact your state's foster care specialist. Find the number and address here.

Outstanding Foster Parents
They come from all across the country and all walks of life, but these award-winning foster parents have one thing in common: the desire to provide a loving and supportive home for a child in need. Read their personal stories.

Foster Care Month: History and Proclamation
How did May became National Foster Care Month? Learn the history and read President Clinton's 1999 Proclamation honoring foster parents and children.

Superman Had Foster Parents
Positive recognition is one way to honor the contribution foster parents make all year long, but there's a lot more that we can do. Learn more about supporting foster parents in this article by Senior Editor Richard Louv.

Young Children and Foster Care

As many as 44 percent of the children who entered foster care between 1990 and 1994 were between the ages of birth to three. Foster parent Susan Conwell reviews this book on what caregivers and caseworkers should know about these children's needs.

Please Congress, May They Have Some More?
Shirley Hedges has cared for more than 200 children living in foster care. “Congress,” she says, “has to understand that it takes more money to raise these kids into adulthood. And the dollars spent now … will be dollars saved in the future, when we're not supporting them as offenders in the criminal system."

CWLA
Child Welfare League of America
Ramon L. Tate
Director, Information Services
Child Welfare League of America, Inc.
440 First Street NW, Third Floor
Washington, DC 20001
202-942-0251

Foster Care Connections
Connecting you to the welfare resources on the internet.