Contact your local youth welfare office and arrange an appointment. The Youth Welfare Office will answer all your questions in a detailed counselling interview and give you information on how to apply for a foster child.

If you have made a firm decision after the interview, apply to the Youth Welfare Office with the necessary documents. The Youth Welfare Office will check your application and arrange further appointments. These appointments will clarify whether you meet all the requirements. The interviews can also take place at your home so that the Youth Welfare Office can get an impression of your living conditions.

Tip: It is important that you familiarise yourself with the consequences and changes that are coming your way and prepare yourself for them. Parallel to the interviews, some youth welfare offices or independent organisations offer information events or seminars. There you will receive reports on the experiences of foster parents as well as further information and can prepare yourself for taking in a foster child.

In a final interview, you and the Youth Welfare Office will make the basic decision as to whether you want to take on the care of a child. If the Youth Welfare Office considers you suitable, it will note you as a possible foster parent.