The foster family is made up of father (age 34), mother (age 37), and female foster child (age 4). The foster father said that he has always wanted to have a child. When he married his wife, they decided that they were going to adopt. They do not have any biological children of their own. The parents were in the process of adoption and after a year on the waiting list they received an SMS message promoting Foster Care Society’s work. Neither of the parents knew what foster care was, but wanted to bring a child into their home. They met with the Founder/President of Foster Care Society and decided that foster care seemed like a great new way to bring a child into their home.

The parents state that Foster Care Society was very helpful throughout the application process. They received technical support from FCS staff who were available whenever they needed them. Their application was processed within a week of submission. The father was very surprised by this, as the application for adoption took over a year to be approved.

The foster child was born to a mother who was deemed mentally incapable of taking care of her. The biological mother lives in a mental institution. Because of this, the child had been living in a Child Care Institution since birth. At the age of one and a half years she was placed with her foster parents.

The parents were excited when they found out their application was processed and they decorated their home with balloons to celebrate the homecoming of the foster child. At first, the child was closed off and shy. She often tried to hide and refused to play. She had problems with sleeping and the new parents had to get creative on how to help her sleep, often taking her on drives late at night because that helped her fall asleep.

The Child Care Institution that she lived in had only female staff and other girl children. This was a challenge at the beginning of her placement because she was very afraid of her foster father. After a month of her living in her foster placement, the foster father shaved his beard and mustache to see if that made her less fearful. The girl immediately opened up to him and shortly after became very attached to him. The parents said that the adjustment period lasted about six months before the girl was fully comfortable with them and in their home.

The foster child is now four years old and is thriving at home and school. She is first in her class and just completed her finals with very high marks. Developmentally, the foster parents describe a total transformation. She refused to talk and express her feelings when she first joined the family. Now, she loves to talk and play. She is very social and has a lot of friends at school and in her community. Her FCS social worker describes her as very talented and full of potential.

When asked what foster care means to him, the foster father responded by saying “foster care means family.” He told of how this process brought him the family that he has always wanted and they hope to be able to adopt the foster child in the future- providing a forever family for him. He expressed the need for organizations like Foster Care Society to exist all over India as a way to connect children with families.