foster care

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Care of children away from the home when the family is unable to fill its normal role. Foster families offer children a closer approximation to normal family living than other types of substitute care.

Children require foster care for a variety of reasons such as the death of their parents, parental inability to provide financially, and violence in the home. Unlike adoption, legal custody and responsibility for the child's care rests with the natural parents; contact between children and their families is expected. Foster care can result in either adoption, a long period of placement terminating in return home, placement for the duration of childhood with little change, or repeated placement.

There are an estimated (1991) 36,700 children in foster care in England and Wales.

Red, yellow, and green are the pan-African colours. Effective date: 24 September 1973. >>