Long Foster Care Waits Deepen Emotional Struggles for Israeli Children Awaiting Families

In Israel, children waiting for foster families face increasing emotional and behavioral challenges the longer they remain in emergency care centers. Social worker Ein Cohen-Levana explains that while infants are usually placed quickly, older children, sibling groups, and those with disabilities often endure much longer waits. Emergency centers provide vital temporary care but frequent staff changes and the transient nature of the environment undermine children's ability to trust adults and exacerbate emotional and developmental gaps.

Children are removed from their homes only in severe cases involving real risks to their physical, emotional, or developmental safety, often linked to parental addiction or untreated mental illness. These conditions can lead to neglect, insufficient nutrition, developmental delays, and unsafe home environments.

The recent years of conflict and security challenges in Israel have also affected the foster care system. Some families have opened their homes during these uncertain times, while others have postponed becoming foster families due to emotional strain. Cohen-Levana notes that older parents, often with more emotional availability and parenting experience, are now seen as a key resource for expanding foster care.

A recent amendment to the foster care law, which removes the age limit for prospective foster parents, aims to increase the pool of available families. Social workers hope this change will reduce wait times for children who currently wait the longest for placement. They emphasize the importance of raising awareness about foster care to encourage more families to open their homes to waiting children.

The Ministry of Welfare and foster care organizations view this legal reform as a hopeful step toward addressing the urgent needs of vulnerable children in Israel's foster care system.