Definition

Noun: A foster home is a private household where a child is placed to live and be cared for, usually temporarily, by adults who are not the child's biological or adoptive parents. This placement is typically arranged by a government or social service agency when a child's birth family is unable to provide a safe or stable environment.

Usage

The term "foster home" refers specifically to the living situation and the family unit providing care. It is commonly used in social work, legal, and community contexts. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., a foster home, several foster homes). - It often appears with verbs like live in, place in, remove from, or be placed in.

Examples

• The court decided the child's best interest was to be placed in a foster home.
• After the fire, the siblings found stability in a loving foster home.
• She spent most of her childhood moving between different foster homes.
• The social worker visits the foster home monthly to check on the child's wellbeing.

Advanced Usage

• "Foster home placement": The process or act of assigning a child to a foster home.
  • Foster home placement requires thorough background checks on the caregivers.
• "Licensed foster home": A home that has been officially approved by authorities to provide foster care.
  • They became a licensed foster home after completing the required training.

Variants and Related Words

• Foster care (n): The overall system or service of placing children in foster homes.
  • The child entered the foster care system at age five.
• Foster parent (n): An adult who cares for a child in a foster home.
  • His foster parents encouraged him to pursue his education.
• Foster child (n): A child being cared for in a foster home.
  • The agency ensures the foster child has regular contact with a caseworker.

Synonyms

• Group home: A residential facility for children needing care, though typically for more children and with staff rather than a family setting.
• Residential care home: A broader term for live-in care facilities, which can include foster homes but often implies a more institutional setting.

Related Phrases

• To be in foster care: The state of being part of the foster system.
  • He was in foster care for two years before being adopted.
• To age out of foster care: To reach the age (often 18 or 21) at which one is no longer eligible for the foster care system.
  • Programs exist to support youth who age out of foster care.

Noun

1. a household in which an orphaned or delinquent child is placed (usually by a social-service agency)