Foster families

What is foster care?

A foster family provides a warm home and temporary support for children at risk who have been removed from the custody of their biological parents by consent or by court order. The foster family contributes to the physical, emotional and educational development of the children. The foster care process comes to an end when the child reaches the age of 18, or in the following cases: his transfer to another out-of-home solution, the child's return to his biological parents or his transfer for adoption.

Foster Care Services

The Summit Institute provides guidance and direct support for families at all stages of foster care. The services are available for foster families in the Jerusalem and Southern regions, in partnership and under the regulation of the Ministry of Social Welfare. Summit works closely with the welfare authorities in local councils and municipalities.

In order to optimize the foster care system, the Summit Institute offers foster families a range of resources alongside in-depth, professional support. The services include:

- Training for new foster families, including personal and group courses that cover screening, placement, and instruction, as well as one-on-one preparatory meetings.

- Intensive professional and emotional support from foster care caseworkers during absorption, separation, times of crisis, and throughout the foster child's stay in the family.

- Consultation and treatment planning with foster care caseworkers, who are all certified, social workers.

- Personalized treatment plan implementation, including psychological care, paramedical treatment, tutoring, assistance in school, and more.

- Support groups and meetings to assist foster parents with day-to-day concerns and challenges.

- Treatment groups for foster children and adolescents.

- Coordination between foster families and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare to ensure reimbursements for expenses for foster children with special needs.

ימי כיף והשתלמות למשפחות האומנה ולילדים, כחלק משייכות לקהילת משפחות האומנה של מכון סאמיט.

 

Thousands of at-risk children in Israel, many of them even in immediate danger, are in need of urgent intervention. In addition, there are thousands of children who are not receiving the care and treatment they need within their family units. if you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster family, please contact us.

 

יחד איתכם אנו יכולים להציל ולהעניק לילדים בסיכון בית חם ומחבק, מקום בטוח ומוגן אשר יוביל אותם לעתיד טוב יותר.

הקריטריונים להצגת מועמדות למשפחת אומנה וקלט חירום:

     

      • Parents up to age 55
      • Medical confirmation of good health status

      • Proof of no criminal record

      • Appropriate space for children in the house

      • Steady income and financial stability

      • Good personal relationships within the household

      • Written and oral references from the community

    הפנמה וקבלה של תפקיד משפחת האומנה: לאפשר את התפתחותו הנורמטיבית של הילד בכל תחומי החיים, ולהיות עבורו בית משלים לביתו הביולוגי.

    To Contact Us

    Together, we can save these at-risk children and provide them with the warm embrace of a safe, welcoming home, help put smiles on their faces and ensure them brighter futures.

    Foster care registration form

    Questions and Answers

    Important questions to ask.

    Other questions?

    Please fill in the details and we will get back to you as soon as possible

    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.
    It is natural for biological parents to be involved in their children's lives.
    In most cases, they continue to be the children's legal guardians 
    guardians and retain many parental rights. Foster care is essentially a cooperative parenting effort between the child's biological parents and the welfare services.
    The involvement of biological parents is crucial for the development of children in foster care, and we always encourage fostering a positive relationship between foster and biological parents whenever possible.
    In accordance with the child's and biological parent's needs, meetings with the children are scheduled weekly, biweekly, or monthly. These meetings take place at supervised contact centers or, in cases where supervision is not required,
    at pre-arranged locations like the parents' home or a public park. Contact may be limited to phone calls in some instances, depending on the case.
    For a child's mental health, it is vital to foster a strong relationship between the biological and foster parents.
    All decisions made by welfare services, foster parents, and biological parents should prioritize the child's best interests and foster a healthy connection with their parents.

    Foster care for children at risk

    Treatment and rehabilitation for the mentally injured

    Parent center for teenagers

    דילוג לתוכן