Couples were today urged to consider fostering children who cannot live with their own families.
Focus on Fostering Week 2008, which begins tomorrow and ends on Friday, will feature information stalls staffed by the Irish Foster Care Association at shopping centres and libraries across the country.
The aim of the campaign, entitled 'Could you give a child a chance?' is to raise awareness of fostering and to assist the Health Service Executive in recruiting foster carers.
"Fostering is a service for children who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live with their own family," said a spokeswoman for the IFCA.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne today launched Focus on Fostering Week in Dublin's Mansion House.
HSE official Hugh Kane said: "With fostering, families become enriched by other children living with them.
"And in terms of the children themselves, there is a huge gain for them because they get to live in a family within a community, in a very normal way.
"Fostering can be a very positive and rewarding experience for all involved."