Foster Care – Suceava District, Northern Romania – child placements 50
Foster Care/Home Schooling Service – Bucharest – 30 children

In the vicinity of each children’s home, FARA has extended its childcare services by providing foster care programmes and specialist learning support for children with disabilities. Children are from newborn to eighteen years. Many babies are still being abandoned in the hospitals and referred to FARA for family placements. Other children are referred from state orphanages and from natural families due to extreme poverty, lack of housing or physical abuse.

The majority of children are in long term fostering but in some cases children are able to return to either their natural or extended family. It is frequently necessary for FARA to continue to provide vital support enabling the families to stay together.

The programmes are managed by a skilled Romanian team including social workers and psychologists – children have many medical problems, some have special needs due to learning difficulties and physical disabilities.

The families are visited frequently and FARA provides training for foster Care Mothers. Foster Care Mothers are paid a small salary. FARA additionally supports the children with clothing, educational materials and medical supplies.

FARA works in partnership with the Department of Child Protection who currently pay a small financial contribution to the cost of care.