Where do foster children come from?
Foster children have been separated from their families due to abuse and/or neglect. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has a Child Abuse Hotline that handles calls reporting suspected child abuse or neglect. DCFS social workers will respond to calls and determine whether the report are unsubstantiated or substantiated. If it is determined that children are at risk for further abuse by staying in the home, DCFS will detain the children and look for appropriate relatives to place the children with. If no appropriate relative is located, DCFS will place the children with a family in the community who has been licensed or certified as a foster family.
