Deinstitutionalization and the prevention of institutionalization are fundamental prerequisites for protecting the rights of every child. At the heart of this effort is foster care, which gives children the opportunity to grow up in a safe and supportive family environment rather than in an institution.
Foster Care in Greece
Following Presidential Decree 86/2009 on the “Organization and Operation of Foster Care for Minors”, Greece established an innovative legal framework for child protection through Law 4538/2018.
Law 4538/2018 (Government Gazette A’ 85/2018) defines the framework for foster care and adoption in Greece. Its primary objective is to promote alternative family-based care for children, in accordance with Article 20 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as an alternative to institutional care.
The law sets out the requirements, criteria, and procedures for becoming a foster or adoptive parent, while also establishing a framework for supervision and support for children, foster parents, and adoptive families.
Recognizing the significant impact of foster care on child and social well-being, the European Union has called on Member States to implement reforms in their welfare systems through the creation of unified electronic systems, the mapping of child protection services, and the reduction of the time children spend in institutional care (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2023).
What is Professional Foster Care?
Professional foster care is a specialized form of foster care that primarily concerns children with increased support needs, such as disabled children or children with complex care requirements.
Professional foster parents receive training, certification, and ongoing support to ensure they can provide children with a stable family environment characterized by care, security, and emotional support.
Professional foster care is a critical tool for deinstitutionalization, as it enables children who might otherwise grow up in institutions to live within a family setting, develop meaningful relationships, experience everyday family life, and receive individualized care.
Myths and Reality About Professional Foster Care
“To care for a disabled child, I need medical knowledge.”
Caring for a disabled child is often associated with the belief that specialized medical training is required. In reality, foster parents do not need to be healthcare professionals or have previous medical experience.
What is essential is training, support, and a willingness to build a caring and trusting relationship with the child.
“All disabled children use wheelchairs.”
A child’s impairment may be intellectual, sensory, or physical, and no two children are the same. Many children may have invisible impairments or different levels of functioning and independence.
Not all children require the same accommodations or support in their daily lives. Each child’s needs are unique and shaped by their personality, abilities, and environment.
As a result, home adaptations may not always be necessary for foster families.
“I can’t communicate with an autistic child or a child with a mental health condition .”
All children communicate — just not always in the same way.
Some children use spoken language, while others express themselves through movements, pictures, gestures, sign language, or body language. Even when children experience difficulties with eye contact or are sensitive to touch, they can still build relationships and express their needs, feelings, and wishes.
What matters most is gradually developing a relationship that sees the child first — not the impairment or diagnosis.
Every Child Needs a Family
Professional foster care is more than a form of care. It is an act of inclusion, acceptance, and social responsibility. Every child deserves to grow up in an environment where they feel safe, loved, and that they belong.
Because life outside an institution should not be a privilege — it should be a right.
Sources
UNICEF, Guide for Professionals on Foster Care
https://www.profosters.gr/instructors/manuals-instructors/
