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Even though foster families are to be found in most regions of the world, there are major difference in the practice and theory of foster care in different countries. This article provides an overview of the structures as well as the legal framework of foster care in Germany. We present the principal methods, theories and results of German foster care research, based on six major studies published between 1930 and 2007. To conclude, the author describes the work of her own research group at the University of Siegen, highlighting the group’s methods and presenting some initial results. The Siegen working group intends to give new impetus to research on family foster care, and presents new elements such as biographic interviews, from which the experiences and interpretations of ex-foster children are analyzed.