What is foster care ? 

The Center operates on the principle that prevention and fostering are key pillars of child protection

Fostering, as an institution of child protection since the beginning of the 20th century, refers to the taking over of the care of a minor child up to the age of 16 by a foster family or foster person. Foster care works as a support to the biological family and is applied in cases where parents are unable to adequately exercise their parental role.

The foster family does not replace, but rather compensates for the vulnerable birth family, providing the minor child’s needs and supporting him or her to develop his or her identity and gain experience and stimulation in a healthy family environment.

Unlike adoption, in the case of fostering a child, the legal relationship between the minor and the biological family remains in force, unless the law provides otherwise. It is the duty of foster parents to facilitate communication and the maintenance of personal relations between the minor and birth parents as long as there is no court order to the contrary. 

There is no specific foster care formula, social workers assess the suitability of foster parents. Sometimes after the presentation of the programme, the concerned people discover that the foster care program does not suit them.

We created this video to promote awareness for Foster Care and Deinstitutionalization

of Children in Greece.