Our aim is to support the member professional foster homes in maintaining high-quality foster care services to children and youth. We are also committed to collaborating with other providers in the child welfare field to improve general functioning conditions of the field.

Our action policy is to maintain the high quality of our work based on continuous, process-like evaluations with participation in the quality-based development and collaboration work while we act as a governing-body for services and collaboration between the member professional foster homes, as well as other organisations, service providers and authorities.

Our main goals are to function more systematically and more centralised as a service and collaboration body in relation to member professional foster homes as well as other organisations and authorities in the child welfare field. We are devoted to act as a collaboration-focused, governing-body in such a way that it enables each member professional foster homes to fulfil the necessary conditions for quality care work. These quality presuppositions include being a foster home that:

• operates on suitable and fitting premises
• is devoted to parenting
• has personnel that is professionally trained and has sufficient amount of experience
• has motivation and adequate resources to act according to a child’s best interest and in such way that accomplishments toward supporting children’s development and healing are made

• Supporting the care of children and youth placed in professional foster homes

• Acting as a governing-body for services and co-operation between member family foster homes as well as to other organisations, service providers and authorities

• Participating actively in the quality-based development and collaboration with the other actors in the child welfare field

• Following the development of legislation in the field and suggesting amendments when needed.

• Organising training and other educational events for our members

• Supporting regional networking of member family foster homes

In addition to the federation meetings and educational events that apply to all member professional foster homes, there are other regional net working carried out in smaller perspective. This is accomplished, for example, by having "quality groups", and by co-operating closely with other organisations and authorities in the child welfare field.

* possess a permission issued by a county council

* has a placement for 4 - 8 children/youth

* offers adequate, home-like premises (starting-point being that each child in care has a chance for privacy)

* functions ethically and morally according to the child’s best interest

* has realistic physical and financial means

If a foster home comes up to the requirements, it can be elected as a member to the federation of the professional foster homes. It is customary to pay a visit to get to know the applying foster family during the process of becoming a member.

A qualified professional foster home is operated by a couple which can offer psychological parenting to children and youth in care, and which

* live and work fulltime in the foster home

(fulltime = not involved in more than a part-time engagement elsewhere)

* have applicable education in the social- or healthcare field

(One of the couple must have training at least the level of children’s home counsellor as specified in the statutory regulation)

• have minimum of three years of experience working with children and youth in the child welfare field
• attend * regularly work consultations

For more information, please contact us: info@apkl.fi