PROCES UPARIVANJA I PRIPREME UDOMITELJA I DJETETA NA SMJEŠTAJ − U KOJU UDOMITELJSKU OBITELJ SMJESTITI DIJETE?

The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the results of contemporary research and practices linked to foster care placement matching and the preparation of foster parents and children for their placement world-wide, with special reference to the existing practice in the Republic of Croatia. The success of foster care outcomes is closely related to and depends on, among other things, the quality of the conducted assessment and selection of the most appropriate form of alternative placement concerning the child’s needs, quality of preparatory process and matching, i.e. adjustment of the characteristics of the child and potential foster parents. Matching is a complex process that comprises a series of actions and making a number of decisions which are influenced by various organisational and external factors, as well as those related to the characteristics of an individual case and to the decision-makers. All these factors are described and explained in the paper. Furthermore, the paper emphasises the importance of the timely preparation of the child and the foster family for the arrival of the child for whom it was determined on the basis of the matching process that the placement in that family is in their best interest, but also of the preparation of the parents and family of the child for the experience of removal of the child and entrusting the child to another family. There is no defined model of the foster care placement matching process in the Republic of Croatia. Therefore the author intends to draw attention to it and to arouse scientific and professional interest in this topic in the Republic of Croatia. Key words: alternative childcare; foster care; foster care placement matching; process of preparing for placement