Role of a Foster Parent

Successful therapeutic foster parents take on five key roles in the lives of their foster children:

1. Safety: Foster parents provide structure, support, consistency and comfort.
2. Basic needs: Foster parents provide food, shelter, clothing, transportation and access to behavioral, medical and dental care.
3. Emotional support: Foster parents learn how to respond to difficult behaviors so that they can understand the child and help the child feel understood.
4. Permanency: Foster parents create a sense of continuity and permanency in their foster children’s lives by assisting in the family reunification process, the adoption process or a youth’s transition to independent living.
5. Team player: Above all, foster parents are team players who coordinate and work with assigned family specialists, mental health providers and any and all additional treatment providers to further the needs of the foster child in their care.