Children in foster care range in age from birth to 21 years old. These children come from diverse backgrounds and the majority have experienced abuse, neglect, and have lived in families in need of supportive services. What they all share is the need to have a safe and stable environment, and a team who can help them navigate the trauma of removal while remaining connected to a family and community that offers guidance and understanding.

Foster Care is necessary when no other alternative is available to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of a child. The main objective of foster care is to reunify children with their families of origin as quickly and safely as possible. During that process, foster care provides a safe place for a child while the biological parents and/or prior custodians focus on stability and addressing the concerns that led to the removal of the child.

Foster care strives to engage immediate family members, extended family, and natural supports for the family and child to help achieve this goal. Foster care provides individualized support services to birth families, as well as the children in care. It is intended to be time limited. If a child is unable to return home, the Department works with the child and family to identify an alternative permanency goal through concurrent planning.

The outcome of foster care is difficult to predict. It is important to remember that each child and family is unique. When children are placed in foster care, it is imperative to find safe, permanent homes for them as quickly as possible. Permanency can have different meanings depending on the child, family, and case circumstances. Permanency can be achieved through the following:

• Reunification
• Placement with or custody transfer to a relative
• Adoption

Permanency helps children establish and nurture a family connection that can provide a lifetime of support and commitment, as well as a sense of belonging beyond temporary placement, even as they transition into adulthood. In many circumstances, children can be reunited with their families. However, there are some cases that require children to find permanent homes with relatives or adoptive families.