Foster care is a protective service to children and their families when families can no longer care for their children. There are many reasons and circumstances that make it difficult for biological families to meet the needs of their children—including poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness, teen pregnancy, loss of a job, or lack of support from extended family. Unlike birth parents, foster parents receive training before they welcome children into their home, and support from social workers and other professionals throughout the process. Foster parents often also have access to respite care programs, and find support through local organizations, such as churches, and online support groups.

Traditionally, the foster parent’s role was seen as a temporary one—and even today more than half of children who enter foster care are reunified with their birth parents. Foster parents are frequently asked to support these reunification efforts—including facilitating visitations and attending court appearances—and must always be prepared to accept the loss of a child who returns to birth parents or is placed with another relative when that is found to be in the child’s best interest.

In New Jersey, foster care is regulated by the state's Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), which operates under the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Foster care serves as a temporary arrangement for children who cannot live with their biological families due to various challenges such as poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, and other factors. Prospective foster parents in New Jersey are required to complete pre-service training known as PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education) and undergo a home study evaluation before a child is placed in their care. Foster parents receive ongoing support from social workers and may have access to respite care and support networks, including local organizations and online groups. The primary goal of foster care in New Jersey is to reunify children with their biological families whenever possible, and foster parents play a supportive role in this process by facilitating visitations and participating in court proceedings. However, if reunification is not in the child's best interest, other permanent solutions, such as adoption or kinship legal guardianship, may be pursued.