Genogram Maker
Genogram symbols

Foster Child Symbol in a Genogram

A foster child is connected to the foster parents with a dotted line. Draw the birth parents as their own couple with a solid line to the child, so the diagram shows both the birth family and the placement.

Foster father54Foster mother52Kayla11
Fig. 1 — Foster care exampleOpen in Genogram Maker
  • Foster
  • Adopted

What it means

  • Dotted = foster, dashed = adopted, solid = biological.
  • Add the placement year beside the dotted line if it matters.

When to use it

  • Child welfare assessments and foster care placements.
  • Kinship care, where a relative is the foster parent.

Common mistakes

  • Showing only the foster family and dropping the birth parents.

Genogram Maker draws this symbol for you and adds it to the key automatically. Open the example above and edit it.