In certain cases, foster carers require a permit in accordance with §44 SGB VIII in order to be allowed to take in a foster child. An application and qualification process is required to obtain the permit. A permit in accordance with § 44 SGB VIII is not required for placement as a foster carer within the framework of educational assistance provided by the youth welfare office. However, the youth welfare office or the foster children's service checks the suitability of foster carers according to the same criteria.

The task of integrating a child who is initially a stranger into one's own family, to make it feel at home in one's own family in the long term or permanently, to support and educate it, is a demanding task.
The high demands placed on foster parents must not and should not be met by them alone. Rather, the foster family is part of a supportive network that has pedagogical knowledge, methodological expertise and many years of experience.
Foster carers have completed the qualifying courses offered by the Foster Children's Service before starting their work.

The decisive factor for accepting a child into general full-time care is a match between the child's needs and the caregivers' existing skills and resources. A professional qualification in a nursing or educational profession is not expected of caregivers in this form of assistance.

However, a professional or semi-professional background is expected for the admission of a child with special educational needs. In this context, semi-professional means, for example, the previous care of a foster child over a period of
of a foster child over a period of at least two years or many years of voluntary care and support for children and young people.

Foster parents can be couples with or without children of their own as well as individuals with a stable social network.