Foster Care
Foster care is a legal arrangement in which the government places children in the temporary custody of families other than their own. It may be used in cases ranging from the death of the parents to a court's determination that the parents are not able to care for their children properly. Foster care is a short-term alternative while legal authorities determine a permanent plan for the children, whether that is reunification with the biological parents or conversion of the foster parents into legally permanent adoptive parents. In the U.K., there are 51,000 foster children living with families, according to the Fostering Network. It estimates that at least another 10,000 families are needed to accommodate children in care who still need a place. In countries with widespread poverty and homelessness, foster care often does not exist. In India, for example, some cities have now initiated programs for the care of children whose parents are in prison or have AIDS.
