In simple terms, a foster child is a minor placed in state custody. Foster children are placed with state-licensed adults that care for the child rather than a guardian or parent. Youth may enter the foster system for many reasons, but the most common include abuse, neglect, or being in an unsafe home environment.

foster child A foster child is a minor child who has been taken into state custody and placed with a state-licensed adult, who cares for the child in place of their parent or guardian. Children often enter the foster care system as a result of an unsafe or unstable home environment, usually due to abuse or neglect.

Foster child means a person who resides in a foster home, who was placed in the foster home by a placing agent, who is not living with a parent or legal guardian, who is less than 18 years of age or becomes 18 years of age while residing in the foster home and continues to reside in the foster home as a dependent adult, and who is not related to an adult member of the foster family by blood, adoption, or marriage.

foster child noun a child looked after temporarily or brought up by people other than its natural or adoptive parents