Types of Foster Care in New York Understanding the Different Ways to Foster
Today, approximately 17,000 children and youth are in foster care across New York State, with nearly 6,000 more entering care each year. When children and teens cannot safely remain at home, foster parents provide something every young person deserves…a safe place to belong while their family works toward healing and reunification.
At Together for Youth, we believe foster care is about more than providing a temporary home. It’s about building trust. Creating belonging. Supporting families. And helping young people move toward brighter futures.
There Are Many Ways to Make a Difference
The primary goal of foster care is reunification whenever it is safe and appropriate. Foster parents become valued members of a larger team working alongside children, youth, families, counties, schools, and community partners to help families heal, grow stronger, and reunite whenever possible.
Sometimes reunification isn’t possible. In those situations, foster care may help a young person move toward another permanent family resource, including kinship care or adoption.
Some foster parents provide care during emergencies. Some support another foster family for a weekend. Some care for relatives. Some open their homes to youth who need additional therapeutic support. Others eventually become adoptive families.
Every role matters. Every home matters. Every act of kindness creates new possibilities for a young person.
Together for Youth helps prospective foster parents discover the path that best matches their strengths, schedule, and the needs of children and families in their community.
Full- Time Foster Care
Full-time foster parents provide a safe, nurturing home for children and teens while their families work toward reunification or another permanent plan. Along the way, they offer stability, encouragement, and the everyday moments that help young people heal and thrive.
Open your home. Change a chapter of a young person’s story.
Respite Care
Respite foster parents provide short-term care so foster families can rest, attend appointments, or manage planned commitments while children continue receiving safe, consistent, and nurturing care.
Kinship Care
Kinship care provides a safe, temporary home for children in need, whether on a part-time or a full-time basis.
Kinship care allows children and youth to remain connected to relatives or trusted adults they already know, preserving relationships, traditions, culture, and a sense of belonging during difficult transitions.
Foster-to-Adopt
Safe reunification remains the goal of foster care whenever possible.
When reunification cannot occur, some children need another permanent family. Families interested in foster-to-adopt understand that fostering begins as temporary care while remaining open to providing permanency if that becomes part of a young person’s journey.
Finding the Right Fit
You don’t have to know exactly which type of foster care is right for you before taking the first step.
Many foster parents begin exactly where you are now. They ask questions. They attend an information session. They learn about the needs in their community. They discover how their unique strengths can change a young person’s life.
Together for Youth will guide you through every step, from training and certification to ongoing support and finding the type of foster care that’s the right fit for your family.
Because fostering isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being present.
Take the First Step
Every foster parent’s journey begins with a conversation.
Attend a free information session to learn about the need for foster, respite, kinship, and therapeutic foster parents in your county, meet our team, ask questions, and discover how you can help create brighter futures for young people across New York State.
FAQs About Foster Care
The main types of foster care include respite care, emergency or urgent foster care, kinship care, foster-to-adopt care, therapeutic foster care, and group homes. Each provides a different level of temporary care and support based on the needs of the young person, family, and care team.
The primary goal of foster care is reunification whenever it is safe and appropriate. Foster parents provide temporary care while families work toward the stability needed for children and youth to safely return home.
Foster care begins as temporary care. Some young people return home, some live with relatives or kinship caregivers, and others may need another permanent family resource, including adoption.
Yes. Group homes are an important part of New York’s continuum of out-of-home care. They provide structured, trauma-informed residential support for youth who benefit from a staffed care setting.
You don’t have to decide alone. Together for Youth helps prospective foster parents understand community needs, training requirements, and the different ways to foster so you can find the best fit for your home, your family, and your strengths.
