A foster child is a child who does not live with his or her birth family but with another family—his or her foster family.

Foster children come into foster care from a wide variety of backgrounds:

• Parents may no longer be able to care for their children due to a death, a serious illness, or an accident
• Parents may find themselves in a serious crisis due to external circumstances, such as unemployment, separation, or divorce
• Parents are overwhelmed by the demands of daily life, are too preoccupied with their own problems, and are unable to be reliable parents to their children