Foster care is a system by which a certified, stand-in parents, a social group or a government body provides safe, loving and nurturing homes for children and youth who are unable to be in their birth families because of a family crisis, physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect, substance abuse or parent/adolescent conflict.
Children come into care under the authority of The Child and Family Services Act either through a voluntary agreement between Social Services and the parents, or by an order of the court. The foster family's aim is to provide a stable, nurturing and supportive home environment that will encourage the growth and development of a child.
