Kerala Needs Foster Families

Like every state and country around the world, Kerala has thousands of children who, for a variety of reasons, require care and protection outside their biological families.

According to the Kerala Development Report Published in 2026, as of December 2024, 9,743 children were recorded within Kerala’s Child Care Institution (CCI) and related care system, including 2,324 children in foster care.

Kerala has made meaningful progress in developing foster care programs, but there is still an enormous opportunity for more families to step forward — and, importantly, to become well-prepared foster families who understand what these children need.

I write this not only as someone who cares deeply about vulnerable children, but as a foster parent and a person who runs a children's home in Kerala.

In our home, we give the children everything we possibly can.

We give them love. We provide food, clothing, education, medical care and opportunities to play. We celebrate birthdays. We comfort them when they are hurt or grieving. We encourage them when they are struggling emotionally. Our house moms work tirelessly, often going far beyond what their job requires, to make sure each child knows they are valued, loved and cared for.

But there is one thing a children's home cannot provide in quite the same way a family can: one-on-one family life.

A family gives a child the experience of being someone's child — of having one or two adults whose lives are centered around them in a deeply personal way.

When one of our children is sick, our caregivers are there to comfort them and care for them. But there may be several other children who need them at the same time. In a family, a sick child can crawl into their mother's arms and have her attention and comfort all to themselves.

When a child has a difficult day at school, our staff are ready to listen. But in a family, there can be someone whose evening revolves around that one child's story — someone who remembers the details, knows what happened yesterday and is thinking about what might help tomorrow.

When a child achieves something for the first time, we celebrate with them. But there is something special about having a parent who has watched that child grow, knows how hard they have worked and carries those little victories in their heart.

This isn't about what a children's home fails to give. It is about recognizing what family uniquely gives: the deep, personal experience of belonging to someone and having someone who belongs to you.

And that is why, whenever it is safe and possible, children deserve the opportunity to grow up in a family.

And this is one reason I am encouraged by Kerala's growing focus on de-institutionalization and family-based care. The goal is not simply to move children out of institutions. It is to help children who can safely live in a family environment, to experience stability, individual attention, and belonging.

Institutions and children's homes still have an important role to play when children need protection and there is no safe family placement available. I know this personally because I run one.

But I also know personally that a children's home should never be considered a substitute for a safe, nurturing family when one can be provided.

That is why Kerala needs more families who are willing — and properly trained and prepared — to foster.

Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a FAMILY.

WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?

Foster Care Is Not Adoption.

Foster care and adoption are different.

Adoption creates a permanent legal parent-child relationship.

Foster care provides a safe, loving family for a child who cannot safely live with their own family at that time. Depending on the child’s circumstances and legal decisions, the goal of foster care may be reunification with the child’s biological family. However, if the authorities determine that returning the child to their bio family is not safe and parental rights are legally terminated, OR if the parents and eligible relatives voluntarily relinquish their rights, the child may become legally available for adoption.

If the child becomes legally free for adoption, the foster family may have the opportunity to apply to adopt the child and, where permitted by law, may receive priority consideration.

Foster parents therefore need to enter this journey understanding that they are caring for a child whose story began before they came into their home.

Children From Hard Places Need More Than Love

Children coming from difficult circumstances may not know how to behave in a typical family.

They may not know how to share.

How to speak respectfully.

How to trust adults.

How to handle disappointment.

How to follow household rules.

They may test boundaries. They may take things. They may struggle with anger, fear, or trust.

And sometimes they may simply not know what is expected of them.

That doesn't make them bad children.

It means they need patient adults who are willing to teach them.

A trained and prepared foster parent doesn't ask:

"What's wrong with this child?"

They learn to ask:

"What has happened to this child, and how can I help?"

That change in perspective can make all the difference.

They May Be Behind in School Too

Many children who come from unstable or neglectful situations have fallen behind academically.

They may have missed school.

They may have changed schools repeatedly.

They may have learning gaps that were never addressed.

They may struggle to concentrate because their lives have been anything but stable.

They need encouragement — not shame.

Instead of:

"You're this old and you don't know this?"

They need to hear:

"That's okay. You don't know it yet. Let's learn it together."

Every small step forward is worth celebrating.

Foster Families Need Training and Preparation

Foster parenting is incredibly meaningful — but it isn't always easy.

Families need to be prepared for the realities of caring for children who have experienced loss, neglect, trauma, or instability.

They need to learn about:

~Trauma ~ Grief and Loss ~ Attachment ~ Boundaries ~ Behavior ~ Education ~ Patience ~ And Healing.

They also need support.

We don't need perfect foster parents.

We need willing parents who are prepared to learn and to take support when needed.

What If You Could Help Just One?

Have you ever thought,

"If only I could do something big for children..."

Maybe you've dreamed about starting a children's home.

Maybe you've wondered what it would be like to care for many vulnerable children.

But perhaps you can't start a children's home.

You don't have the property.

You don't have the resources.

You don't have the ability to care for dozens of children.

That's okay.

You don't have to change the lives of hundreds.

Why not ONE?

Why not give one child a safe family?

Why not sit beside one child struggling in school and say,

"I believe in you."

Why not teach one child how to trust?

How to share?

How to communicate?

How to dream?

Why not show one child that adults can be safe, dependable, and kind?

One Family Can Change One Life Forever.

You may not be able to care for every child who needs a family.

But you can make a difference for one.

And to that one child…

you could become the difference between simply surviving childhood and discovering what it means to belong.

Why not make a difference for ONE?

Do you want to know more about how to foster a child in Kerala?  https://wcd.kerala.gov.in/service-info.php?service_category_sl=MTU=

You can also visit the District Child Protection Unit or the Child Welfare Committee in your District.

If you already know about foster care and you are ready to apply, you can start your application here:  https://missionvatsalya.wcd.gov.in/foster-care