A foster child is a child who does not live in its original family, but in another family, its foster family.

Foster children come to a foster family from very different backgrounds:

• Parents can no longer care for their children due to death, serious illness or an accident
• Parents find themselves in a serious crisis due to external circumstances such as unemployment or separation and divorce
• Parents are overwhelmed by everyday life, are too preoccupied with themselves and cannot be reliable parents to their children