Fostering

Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent". The placement of the child is normally arranged through the government or a social service agency. The institution, group home or foster parent is compensated for expenses.

The State, via the family court and child protection agency, stand in loco parentis to the minor, making all legal decisions while the foster parent is responsible for the day-to-day care of the minor.

The vast majority of children who would otherwise need foster c ...more

Fostering Books

To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care

The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family

More fostering books...

Lists

The Search for Mother Missing by Janine Vance

Adult Adoptee Memoirs

24 books — 15 voters

The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch by T.M. Gaouette

Don't Call Me Marda by Sheila Kelly Welch

One Step at a Time by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Best Realistic Fiction about Adoption and Foster Care for Middle-Grade/Middle-School Readers

27 books — 19 voters

Something Happened to My Dad by Ann Hazzard

The Night Dad Went to Jail by Melissa Higgins

Far Apart, Close in Heart by Becky Birtha

Family Books of Children with Relatives in Prison

51 books — 2 voters

Gay Romance Featuring an Orphaned MC

288 books — 62 voters

Books About Foster Care

8 books — 32 voters

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

YA & middle grade books about foster care & adoption

43 books — 6 voters

Related Genres

Law
Child
Adoption
Parenthood
Child Care
Foster Children

Foster Parents
Custody
Adopted Children
Family Law
Adoptive Parents
Child Protection

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Quotes Tagged “Fostering”

“ It didn’t last long. Not many good things in a foster kid’s life last long. One day, Maura was gone. Her few things were packed in paper bags and a tearful Miss Louisa carried her out to Miss Hanrahan’s black state-owned Ford sedan with the state emblem on the door, and she was gone. The state had found a foster home that would take a little girl but couldn’t take the rest of us. There were no long goodbyes. She was just gone. I remember having an enormous sense of helplessness when they took he ...more ”
― John William Tuohy, No Time to Say Goodbye: A Memoir of a Life in Foster Care

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“ In some instances, even when crisis intervention has been intensive and appropriate, the mother and daughter are already so deeply estranged at the time of disclosure that the bond between them seems irreparable. In this situation, no useful purpose is served by trying to separate the mother and father and keep the daughter at home. The daughter has already been emotionally expelled from her family; removing her to protective custody is simply the concrete expression of the family reality. These In some instances, even when crisis intervention has been intensive and appropriate, the mother and daughter are already so deeply estranged at the time of disclosure that the bond between them seems irreparable. In this situation, no useful purpose is served by trying to separate the mother and father and keep the daughter at home. The daughter has already been emotionally expelled from her family; removing her to protective custody is simply the concrete expression of the family reality. These are the cases which many agencies call their “tragedies.” This report of a child protective worker illustrates a case where removing the child from the home was the only reasonable course of action: Division of Family and Children’s Services received an anonymous telephone call on Sept. 14 from a man who stated that he overheard Tracy W., age 8, of [address] tell his daughter of a forced oral-genital assault, allegedly perpetrated against this child by her mother’s boyfriend, one Raymond S. Two workers visited the W. home on Sept. 17. According to their report, Mrs. W. was heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time of the visit. Mrs. W. stated immediately that she was aware why the two workers wanted to see her, because Mr. S. had “hurt her little girl.” In the course of the interview, Mrs. W. acknowledged and described how Mr. S. had forced Tracy to have relations with him. Workers then interviewed Tracy and she verified what mother had stated. According to Mrs. W., Mr. S. admitted the sexual assault, claiming that he was drunk and not accountable for his actions. Mother then stated to workers that she banished Mr. S. from her home. I had my first contact with mother and child at their home on Sept. 20 and I subsequently saw this family once a week. Mother was usually intoxicated and drinking beer when I saw her. I met Mr. S. on my second visit. Mr. S. denied having had any sexual relations with Tracy. Mother explained that she had obtained a license and planned to marry Mr. S. On my third visit, Mrs. W. was again intoxicated and drinking despite my previous request that she not drink during my visit. Mother explained that Mr. S. had taken off to another state and she never wanted to see him again. On this visit mother demanded that Tracy tell me the details of her sexual involvement with Mr. S. On my fourth visit, Mr. S. and Mrs. S. were present. Mother explained that they had been married the previous Saturday. On my fifth visit, Mr. S. was not present. During our discussion, mother commented that “Bay was not the ﬁrst one who had Tracy.” After exploring this statement with mother and Tracy, it became clear that Tracy had been sexually exploited in the same manner at age six by another of Mrs. S.'s previous boyfriends. On my sixth visit, Mrs. S. stated that she could accept Tracy’s being placed with another family as long as it did not appear to Tracy that it was her mother’s decision to give her up. Mother also commented, “I wish the fuck I never had her.” It appears that Mrs. S. has had a number of other children all of whom have lived with other relatives or were in foster care for part of their lives. Tracy herself lived with a paternal aunt from birth to age ﬁve. ...more ”
― Judith Lewis Herman, Father-Daughter Incest

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