Can I put my child into temporary care?

According to research, parents may embrace temporary care, and children may accept it. However, it has now been shown that children put in "temporary" or "short-term" foster care spend an average of a year in such care (17). This might be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the parent is unable to take care of the child for a period of time because they are in jail or hospital recovering from an injury. Other times there is no family member willing to take the child in.

Children can also accept being placed in "temporary" care. Some children prefer this situation to living with their biological parents after problems with abuse or neglect are reported to social services. Others feel comfortable with this new lifestyle pattern and view it as a necessary step toward finding them a safe place to live with relatives or a permanent home. Still others enjoy having some independence and making their own decisions about where they want to go and who they want to see.

Whatever the reason, a child needs to experience some form of stability in his or her life. That's why it's important to work through the appropriate channels to ensure the best possible future for your child. If you are unable to care for your child, then you should consider placing him or her in temporary care so someone else can be found to do so.

Is it a temporary family that takes care of children for a short or long period of time?

A family in which one or more of the children is legally a guest in the home. This "temporary" stage might last a few days or the whole infancy of the child. A temporary family unit can also be created when a married couple decides to keep each other's sexual identity a secret and not tell their friends and family what they are doing. This is often done so that their marriages do not suffer as a result of not being able to tell their families about their sexuality.

A temporary family unit may be formed if there is no surviving parent or guardian to take responsibility for the child. In this case, the child will usually be placed in the custody of some form of government authority such as the Department of Social Services or an orphanage.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that it is best for infants to have a relationship with both of their parents after they reach age two. If a parent is unable to care for an infant or young child, then a suitable relative or friend should be identified before the infant goes into state care. The parents of the child in state care have no legal right to see their child until they are given permission by the court. At this point, they can request visits with their child through their attorney or social worker.

Can you foster a child permanently?

Long-term foster placements imply that the kid will (in most circumstances) remain in a specific fostering arrangement until attaining maturity and leaving care. This sort of foster care is sometimes called as "permanent fostering" since it gives young people who are unlikely to return to their family with a more permanent constancy. While in some cases this may mean decades spent without any chance of being reunited, the majority of times it means a couple or three years until a younger child is ready for a placement change.

In general, children have a better chance of being adopted if they stay in the same place all their lives. This is because agencies can build up knowledge about them over time and find matches between kids who need homes and adults who want to adopt. It's also possible that someone might want to take multiple kids at once. In fact, almost half of all children in foster care were already being raised by another family when placed there. Being able to show an agency that you can provide a stable home environment for several children at once can be very helpful in getting them placed quickly.

Some states allow minors to apply directly for permanent custody from a court. But in most places, you can only do this if your case is still active and you're trying to work out a safe plan for the child. The judge will probably ask you why you think the child should no longer be a part of your life and/or whether there's anyone else who can take responsibility for her.

About Article Author

Ruth Hendrix

As a parent educator, Ruth Hendrix is passionate about empowering parents to take charge of their lives and have the power to make decisions that are best for themselves and their family. She has been working in the field of parenting education for over 10 years, providing consultation services to families on how they can be most successful as parents.