Foster care is a service provided by licensed caregivers who provide a nurturing family environment for the child. The foster parents, with the guidance and support of family services counselors, assist the children in developing basic life skills and values necessary to become contributing, productive adults.

Foster care is designed to provide temporary parenting to children who have been removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Right from the start, foster parents understand that their unique and important role is to care for the child, knowing that the child may be returned to their birth family, or relatives, or may be placed for adoption.

Once it is determined that a foster care placement is likely, an assessment team will recommend professionals to support the family in the case planning process. Active involvement of a variety of community agencies and family support systems come together in a family team conference to identify services and needs. Planning will also include ensuring that the physical health, mental health, and educational needs of the child are addressed.

Foster families receive a daily board rate to assit with meeting the needs of each child in their care. Medicaid covers most of the children’s medical expenses. Foster parents are required to be actively involved in working with the child and providing assistance in accessing needed services identified in the child's case plan. This may include providing transportation services and working with the child's birth family.

While the child is in foster care, the court retains jurisdiction to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to achieve permanency for the child within the shortest time possible. Decisions must be based upon the best intrest of the child. The agency is required to provide periodic reports to update the court on the family's progress. A permanency hearing is held no later than twelve months after the child enters foster care to determine if reasonable efforts have been made by the agency to achieve the permanency plan.

Foster care services continue until the child achieves permanency either through reunification, relative custody, adoption, or another permanent plan. Once permanency is achieved, after care services are provided to ensure the child's smooth transition to the placement.