Fosterbarn

Fosterbarn, in Danish and Norwegian usage, refers to a child who is placed in foster care—living with a licensed foster family or in another approved arrangement—under the oversight of child welfare services. A fosterbarn is typically a child who cannot reside with their birth family due to safety concerns, neglect, abuse, parental incapacity, or, in some cases, temporary family crisis. The aim of foster care is to provide a stable, supportive environment that meets the child’s physical, emotional, and educational needs while preserving connections to birth family where possible.

Placement and management involve a formal process. Social services assess potential foster families through background checks, home studies, and training to ensure they can meet the child’s needs. Once approved, foster families receive ongoing supervision, access to professional support, and financial assistance to cover care costs. Case plans outline goals such as timely reunification with parents, placement with relatives, or, when appropriate, transition to adoption. Regular reviews and visits monitor the child’s well-being, development, and schooling, with attention to the child’s voice and rights.

Outcomes vary. Some fosterbarn return to their birth families; others remain in foster care for extended periods or move toward permanent arrangements like adoption or kinship care. Rights of foster children typically include access to education, healthcare, safety, and protection, while foster families have responsibilities to provide stable, sensitive, and lawful care.

See also: foster care, adoption, child welfare, kinship care.