Fostering and Guardianship – Did you know there’s a difference between foster care and guardianship? If you’re thinking of opening your home and heart to care for children in need, knowing the difference is key vital to set realistic expectations. Learn more about the differences between the two right here on Newsymom!
Helping hands comes to you in partnership with COAD4Kids.
Do you know the difference between foster care and guardianship? (Did you know there WAS a difference?)
If you don’t, that’s okay! Most people are in the same boat as you. While both are designed to give children a safe, healthy place when separated from their parents, each one has key differences. Let’s dive in!
Foster Care
Foster care is part of a state-funded social program that provides temporary care for a child who cannot live with their own family. They may have been removed for a number of reasons…neglect, abuse, or family crisis. This temporary solution is intended to provide affection, stability, and consistency to help a child grow and restore psychological well-being while the goal is to be reunited with the birth families. While the child is out of the home, services are provided to help facilitate a healthy reunion.
Since foster care is temporary, visits with their birth families occur regularly while they remain in foster care. If reunion with their birth parents isn’t likely, social services will look to family members or other people in the child’s life for permanent placement. And if all those avenues don’t seem suitable, their foster family can choose to pursue their foster child’s permanent placement through adoption or legal guardianship!
Guardianship
Guardianship is a more permanent solution and is typically used for cases involving relative caregivers…Kinship. Kinship is usually preferred so the child can maintain relationships with extended family in a safe and familiar environment. Guardians assume legal and financial duties and have rightful control and make decisions on behalf of the child. Birth parents retain the rights to visitation, access to information and notice of accidents and serious illnesses but their rights are secondary and subject to limitations.
Birth parents can request that a guardianship order be vacated and returned to them for care. If reuniting with birth parents isn’t possible, guardians can choose to adopt their child!
Thinking of Becoming a Foster Parent?
Now that you know a little bit more about the difference between fostering and guardianship, you might be curious to take the leap into becoming a foster parent! Our friends at COAD4Kids-New Philadelphia want to help you make that happen.
Prepare yourself further by reading articles from COAD4Kids-New Philadelphia’s series, What To Expect When You’re Fostering:
And also,
There are many reasons to become a foster parent, but the most important one is to share love and support with a child in need! To learn more about becoming a foster parent, send an email to foster5@coadinc.org, call (330) 364-8882, or follow COAD4Kids-New Philadelphia on Facebook.
Melissa Klatt
Reporting