The Department of Social Services in Sharjah issued the second edition of the "Guide to the Fostering Policy for Children Lacking Social Care," in a qualitative step that reflects professional and humanitarian leadership at the state level, by addressing a highly sensitive topic in society, which is often met with reluctance or hesitation in dealing with it. The advanced guide represents a qualitative leap in approaching fostering issues, as it is a scientific and professional product supervised by the Knowledge Office in the department, based on long-standing experiences in caring for this group at the Department of Social Services in Sharjah, which includes the Social Care Home for Children, as well as a center specializing in services for minors. Through this new edition, the department has been keen to develop the first version in line with social and legislative developments, and to respond to the implementation challenges facing alternative family care policies. The guide provides a clear regulatory framework for fostering and alternative care, and aims to unify the professional standards of care providers, and to establish executive frameworks that are consistent with the professional procedures and practices of those concerned with fostering children who lack social care. In addition, the guide includes a qualitative addition that addresses the activation of effective tools for performance evaluation and monitoring of fostering according to clear standards, in addition to empowering specialists and enhancing integration between relevant parties, in order to achieve the best results for the benefit of children who lack social care, and to ensure the provision of comprehensive and sustainable services. In a statement, Dr. Jassim Al-Hammadi, Director of the Knowledge Office, affirmed that fostering is one of the essential humanitarian issues that requires deep awareness, especially in light of what the Islamic religion urges in terms of the values ​​of mercy and care, noting that children who lack care often lack the safe environment that supports their growth and development. The Director of the Knowledge Office explained that the guide scientifically addresses the concepts of alternative care and its psychological and social challenges and how to confront them, such as stigma and emotional distress, in addition to the difficulties of social integration. Sponsoring an orphan or child of unknown parentage is not limited to material support, but also includes educational, religious and psychological care, ensuring that he grows up in a healthy family environment that provides him with stability and affection, and protects him from homelessness and delinquency, so that he may be a productive member of his community. Al-Hammadi explained that the alternative care system provides humane and dignified alternatives for these children, through foster families, care homes, or community support programs. He pointed out that the motives of foster families vary between a desire for motherhood, a humanitarian intention, or a religious motive, but all of them converge in giving these children a chance at a safer and more stable life. He also pointed out that foster children, with the significant psychological and social challenges they face, require specialized support. This guide aims to review this support according to educational principles, especially in cases of inadequate alternative care or moving between multiple families, which may increase the child's feeling of rejection and loneliness. Therefore, the guide highlights the importance of providing thoughtful environments that promote psychological and social adjustment. Therefore, the current guide covers all legal and social circumstances of children without care, including those of unknown parentage and those who have been abandoned, and clarifies the executive procedures and regulatory controls adopted, whether through care homes or alternative families, within a vision that ensures a safe environment and effective social integration. For his part, Dr. Sharif Abu Shadi, the department’s consultant, pointed out that the guide includes 25 axes covering various legal, social, psychological, procedural, and behavioral axes. It also highlights the rights of children without care under UAE law, from education and health care to family, cultural and social rights. He also pointed out that the guide is the first fostering guide that is unique in including a matrix of standards for evaluating the quality and efficiency of fostering, which is a comprehensive standard reference that covers psychological, behavioral, educational, social and other dimensions, which contributes to raising the efficiency of the alternative care system, in addition to the existence of a standard matrix for evaluating fostering applicants from families to select them according to digital standards based on indicators that achieve a safe and positive fostering environment. For her part, Sheikha Shaheen Al Suwaidi pointed out that the guide also addressed one of the most sensitive aspects of fostering, which is the stage of informing the fostered child of the reality of his social situation, and she considered it a critical stage that requires professional guidance and emotional gradualism to maintain the child’s psychological balance. This guide is an important enrichment to the social library in the country, and a qualitative contribution to the development of the alternative family care system, and to unifying concepts and practices to ensure a safer and fairer future for children lacking social care.