When there is an emergency situation in a household, the children may end up going into foster care for a period of time. This is often a short-term placement, but can be long-term as well. There are actually a few different goals for foster care, though the focus of all of them is the safety of the child. Some of the goals that foster care has include the following.
Provide a Safe Household for Children
The primary goal is to provide a safe household for children. Many children are taken from their families because of unsafe living conditions, so the foster home provides them with a safe place to be until the situation at home changes. This gives the family the opportunity to make the necessary changes to make the home safe without worrying about the care the children are receiving.
Provide Care for Children During a Crisis
Foster homes also work to make sure they provide excellent care for the child. Along with keeping the child safe, foster homes will make sure the child is taken care of, well-fed, clothed, and more. They work toward making sure the child is comfortable, has the things they need to be healthy, and that they receive proper care to help them thrive.
Work Towards Family Reunification
It is the main goal in most cases to work toward reunification with the family. Most of the time, foster care is a short-term placement while the family works on resolving the issues that led to the placement. If it is not possible to place the child with their parents, they may be placed with other relatives to keep them with family members.
Offer Long-Term Care if Needed
Sometimes, long-term care is needed as it may take more time for issues to be resolved or they may not be able to be resolved. When long-term care is needed, the goals of the foster care system can change from reunification to finding a loving home for the child. It is still important to provide safety and care with long-term placements, so most of the goals do remain the same.
foster care focuses on the needs of the child and ensuring they have a safe place to live until they are reunited with family, adopted, or age out. It is important for those involved in the foster care system in any way to understand these goals and how they can help children.
