COMPARISON OF FOSTER FAMILY MODELS IN EUROPE AND THE MODEL IN TÜRKİYE

The care and protection of children in need of protection is carried out through institutional care and family care. The foster family model, which undertakes the care and upbringing of the child and provides care in the family environment, is one of the family-based care methods. Foster care means that voluntary families or individuals take care of children under the control of the state. As a result of the European Union's reintegration initiatives, foster care models have become increasingly important. Foster care models have been seen for many years as a cheaper alternative to institutional care. Today, foster care models are considered the best option for caring for children who cannot stay with their biological families. With the establishment of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies in Türkiye in 2011, the sustainability of the foster family, the foster family nuclear family communication, the selection of the appropriate foster family and the high benefit of the models for the child under protection have started to be discussed more. The aim of this study is to evaluate the foster family models applied in Europe and Türkiye and to determine the similarities and differences that arise when compared with our country in this context. In addition, it is aimed to develop the foster family model applied in our country and to explain the aspects that need to be corrected and to encourage the practices that are progressing in a positive direction. Within the framework of these aims and objectives, it has been understood that different protective family service models that set an example in the European Union have been pushed into crime, studies have been carried out on groups with special needs, and that protective families and professional staff have a closer interaction. It can be said that there are different policies in the selection of foster families, that sustainability is important, and that policies are produced to raise the child in touch with democratic values. In Türkiye, despite the quantitative increase in the foster family, it needs to be developed with holistic policies.