A child is separated from his or her parents' custody only after efforts have been made to assist the parents and maintain the child's presence within the family. Priority is given to exploring the possibility of placing the child with a close relative, such as grandparents, uncles, or older siblings, before considering placing the child with an unrelated family.

Foster families who are relatives undergo the same screening and training as other foster families. These individuals are committed and dedicated to providing a stable and secure home for a child from their own family, often transforming their lives to do so.

Within the family, foster care helps the child maintain a sense of belonging and often allows them to remain in a familiar environment.

The Summit Institute offers specialized and comprehensive support for these families, including customized courses and group activities, according to their unique needs.

In 2006, the foster care law was enacted thanks to the efforts of Karin Elharer (Yesh Atid movement). As a result of this legislation, many relative foster families are now able to receive the same services and assistance as other foster families.

The Summit Institute supports close foster families by providing professional guidance throughout the process and assisting the children with their fundamental needs.

The term emergency foster care refers to a temporary arrangement for infants and children who have been urgently removed from their homes due to immediate danger. For up to 3 months, these families provide children with all the necessities they need after being removed from their homes, including physical and educational support, as well as a safe and nurturing environment. In addition, emergency foster families facilitate meetings between children and their biological parents at designated contact centres.
During emergency foster care, welfare service care planning committees determine the children's future arrangements, including whether they will live with a long-term foster family, move to another out-of-home placement, or return home.
The Summit Institute supports close foster families by providing professional guidance throughout the process, accompanying the children, and assisting them with their fundamental needs.

The therapeutic foster care system is designed to support children and adolescents with challenging backgrounds who have faced traumas, primarily due to their biological parents' inability to provide essential emotional and physical care for their normal development. 
Therapeutic foster care focuses on helping children exhibiting extreme and diverse behaviours, often requiring ongoing psychiatric supervision and emotional or medicinal treatment.   
In order to accommodate these children, therapeutic foster families must possess emotional resilience and family strength.
Therapeutic foster families receive extensive support throughout the process, including emotional support for the child as well as financial aid to alleviate the burden on the foster family.

When a child enters foster care, it is a transformative event that necessitates a high degree of readiness from the foster family. In the case of foster care for children with special needs, additional considerations come into play.

The CMAD foster care system addresses three types of limitations:

1. Masha - Mental-developmental limitations

2.     Autism

3.     Physical limitations

A family choosing to become a foster family for children with special needs receives comprehensive support from the moment they make the decision and throughout the process. This support encompasses psychological, financial, and enhanced medical assistance. 

We deeply admire and appreciate the families who choose to provide foster care for children with special needs.