Out of home programs : a global overview

The author describes common processes which define out of home (foster) care programs globally and offers principles for program delivery and assessment. The term ‘foster care’ is used to refer to care for children who are without access to familial support. Although ‘out of home care’ is gaining popularity as a less emotive and more descriptive term, foster care is still used in most majority nations. Foster children include orphans, unaccompanied children (whose parents are inaccessible or their whereabouts unknown), wards of the state (whose parents or guardians are unable to care for the child because of external events or personal circumstances) and children/families who are in need of temporary respite.