Foster care is a temporary arrangement. Children in foster care range in age from newborn to age 18. You may rent a home and still be a foster parent. You have to have adequate bedroom space to accommodate a foster child, but do not have to own your home. There is a serious shortage of foster homes in the state of Virginia.
Foster parents provide temporary, substitute parental care.
You are a member, with the agency, of a team that works toward returning the child to the birth parents. However, return home is not possible for all children. In some cases, the foster parent may be the most logical choice as the child's permanent foster parent or adoptive parent. To learn more about foster parenting, call your local department of social services. The local Departments of Social Services for Albemarle, Charlottesville, and Greene is served by Tri-Area Foster Families.