When a child needs longer-term placement outside the home, the primary option is family placement. The placed child lives in a private home with an ordinary family.
The purpose of long-term family placement is to provide the child with a safe home, individual care and long-term relationships. The foster family parents, or family carers, are responsible for the care and upbringing of the child or young person placed in their home.
A foster family can also be found among the child's network of close contacts, such as with a relative or other loved one. The social worker responsible for the child's affairs assesses whether the child can be placed with a family close to the child. The placement must be in accordance with the child's needs and best interests.
The social worker and family carers support the child to stay in contact with the parents and other people important to the child. It is also the duty of the social worker and family carers to promote the reunification of the family, that is, the return of the child to their parents.
Foster care services professionals support and supervise the foster family during the placement. We regularly assess the situation of the child and the family through joint negotiation meetings.
