Foster children

Foster care service

The foster care service (PKD) of the Bitburg-Prüm district administration is part of the youth welfare office of the district administration. It is a specialized service within the framework of educational assistance and provides support to parents or single parents who are unable to raise, care for and look after their children in their current situation.

There can be many reasons why children are placed in alternative care: unstable family situations, illness of one parent, lack of parental skills, danger, neglect, an overall poor social situation or critical life events.

In the case of external placements, residential care and full-time care exist side by side on an equal footing. In concrete terms, both involve the placement, care and supervision of a child or young person day and night outside their parents' home.

For younger children in particular, placement in a family, i.e. full-time care, is preferred. The advantage of full-time care is the manageable framework of a family and therefore constant caregivers who can give the child individual and sensitive attention. They can help the child to overcome fears and mistrust and develop trust. The family setting offers the children a positive basis for development.

Full-time care can be divided into

• On-call/transitional care (bridging emergency situations and clarifying prospects) and
• permanent care (as long-term educational support, often until the child reaches the age of majority or beyond)

differentiate between the two. Placements do not always have to be permanent, but can also be used on a temporary basis once the family situation has stabilized. This is referred to as standby or transitional care. Parents or single parents who are unable to cope with the upbringing, care and support of their children and who will not be able to take on and exercise their parenting responsibilities again in the foreseeable future have the option of placing their children in foster families on a permanent basis. This is referred to as permanent care.

The central tasks of the foster care service include the search, selection, preparation, training and support of foster parent applicants, the placement of foster parents and foster children as well as the continued, often long-term support of the foster relationships.

When making a placement, it is important to have as precise a knowledge as possible of the background, particularities and individual needs of the children to be placed. A suitable foster family can then be selected and prepared according to these requirements. The expectations and wishes of all parties involved must be specified as precisely as possible and the possibilities and limitations of the receiving family must be taken into account. In addition to supporting the foster relationship, the foster care service also offers an exchange of experiences with other foster parents in the form of discussion groups and regular training courses. The success of a foster relationship essentially depends on the willingness of the parents of origin and foster parents to work together. Foster children always have two families and need both! This is where the Foster Children's Service provides foster parents with support and advice on how to work together with the family of origin.

Foster parents do not choose an easy "job". Living together with children who do not come from your own family can be stressful. Old rules of behavior and family rules are carried over by children into the new family. Children stage conflicts to see whether they are allowed to stay if they do not behave according to the rules. This can upset family life and also lead to conflict.

The state has made it a principle to provide special protection for children. It can often only do this to a limited extent. The state will certainly be able to provide material support. What it cannot do is provide children with direct care. This can only take place in a smaller setting - a family setting. This is where a child receives what it actually needs to live: Love, closeness, understanding, security, safety and orientation.

For this reason, the district administration's foster care service is always looking for interested and open-minded foster parent applicants who are willing to take on the care of children in a crisis situation or on a permanent basis. What you should bring with you is enough

• time,
• patience and empathy for the needs of a child,
• Composure in dealing with unusual behavior,
• tolerance and understanding for other living conditions, a willingness to cooperate with the parents of origin and the youth welfare office,
• secure family and financial circumstances and sufficient living space as well as health and resilience.

The maintenance costs for such a foster relationship as well as a contribution to the foster parents' education costs are covered by us as a youth welfare organization. You can obtain non-binding advice and information on this from our foster care service.