The Foster Families programme of “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Centre is implemented in collaboration with the Social Welfare Services upon signing a Protocol of Cooperation. It is co-funded by the Social Welfare Services of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare.

The program aims to ensure the protection, the care and the best interest of the child who is deprived of a family environment. More specifically, under the principles of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (OHE, 1989), every child which is deprived of its family environment has the right of protection and assistance from the state, which in turn foresees for alternative custody, placing the child in another family.

The institution of foster care concerns children who are under the legal care of the Social Welfare Services' Director and is an alternative family care which ensures the prosperity of children and respects their needs, at the same time guarantees a healthy, steady and safe everyday life for the children. Furthermore, the role of a foster parent is to provide a safe and steady family environment with care and love to the foster child and opportunities to develop to the maximum of their potential.

HFC’s role is to promote and support the institution of foster care while its services are multi-faceted and cover all the districts of the Republic of Cyprus. More specifically, the services provided include the following:

• Assessing the suitability of the persons wishing to become foster parents, including the provision of continuous training on a range of important issues which aim to strengthen their role
• Providing psychological, psycho-emotional and psycho-social support to foster parents. These services are available 24 hours a day
• Regular monitoring and re-evaluation of foster parents
• Promoting the foster care institution through awareness campaigns and informational activities on a national basis.

Further information regarding the program can be found in the information booklet here.

If you are interested in becoming foster parents, you can contact the organization and talk to the professionals of the Foster Care department for further information and guidance.