Apply for education in a foster family (full-time care)

If parents in an emergency or crisis situation can no longer exercise their parental responsibility in a way that ensures the child's well-being, they can apply for their child to be placed in a foster family.

Full-time foster care offers many advantages:

• The child benefits from the stable environment and a family routine in which he or she is integrated.
• The birth parents can concentrate on themselves and their living situation while their child is placed in a foster family and work on making a life together with their child possible again.

The aim of full-time foster care is to initially provide temporary help. If a return to the family of origin is possible within a reasonable period of time for the child's development, a permanent placement in the foster family is also possible .

If the Youth Welfare Office agrees to the child being placed in a foster family, the parents must usually also agree to this decision. If possible, the natural parents should retain custody of their child. This means that they continue to make important decisions in the child's life, e.g. about his or her schooling.

The foster family receives foster care money from the Youth Welfare Office to cover the child's necessary maintenance and the costs of upbringing.

The Youth Welfare Office always bases its decisions on the best interests of the child. This also concerns the question of contact between the child and its natural parents. For example, it can be agreed that the natural parents will visit their child at agreed times during the duration of the foster care relationship or that they will also care for their child alone for a certain period of time (e.g. at the weekend).

Note: Foster families are carefully checked by the Youth Welfare Office for their suitability and prepared for their task.