In the year or so before moving over to Italy my wife and I were discussing at length the possibility of become foster parents.

Does fostering exist in Italy to the extent it does in the UK and does anyone here have first or second hand knowledge of the process and/or actual fostering?

Grateful for any feedback

Thanks

Ok, I need a little explainations first: what exactly is fostering in the UK?

It would be "affidamento" I think. Taking in a kid whose parents or immediate relatives, for whatever reason, aren't able to care for him or her.

If the child's bad family situation continues, it could be a prelude to adoption, but many placements are temporary. At least that is the system in the US. The government usually pays a small stipend to the host family or individual to cover expenses.

Ok, I understand. Yes, it's "affidamento familiare", here in Italy it's a practice completely disjoined from adoption, and the rule of thumb is that the "affidataria" family cannot adopt the child, who is encouraged to keep the contacts with his native family, to whom he or she will return to after the transient difficulty that lead the judge to decide on affidamento for the child have been overcome. "Affidamento", unlike adoption, can also be "performed" by singles or unmarried couples. Also, there are several differente types of "affidamento", some are residential and some are part-time (for instance the afternoons only, or a few days per week). SOS affido will provide you more infos about "affido familiare" and it's a good place to start from.