ways to foster
types of fostering
types of foster care
There are many types of foster care but they all share one thing in common – they provide a home. A safe place and a nurturing environment where children can grow.
Every child needs a place to live. A place to learn, laugh, have fun, and develop loving relationships. That’s where foster carers come in.
The duration of foster care can vary. It can be as short as an overnight stay, a few months, or something more long-term. Each child is an individual who needs something unique. So, there is no such thing as a typical foster family.
short-term foster care
Short term foster care can be overnight, a week, a month or more than a year. This just means that plans for the child are still being carefully thought through. When you’re a short term foster carer, you work with us as we secure something more long-term for the child.
In your role as a short-term foster carer, you’ll be there to help a child when they need you. You will also help them move on when it’s the right time, either to their family, to another foster family or through to adoption.
A short stay can have a massive impact. It can be the foundation of something life-changing – the first step on a journey that is new for every child in our care and every foster carer, too.
long-term foster care
Long-term foster care can represent a new home with a new loving family for children who cannot live at home with their birth family.
Thoughtful matching goes into long-term foster care. This is to ensure the right foster child is brought together with the right foster carer for as long as they need. This is about providing a safe and secure space for a child. To offer them permanence with a stable foster family, for life.
specialist kinds of foster care
All kinds of foster care are covered by short-term and long-term. This includes more specialist types that sometimes require a specific type of approval. These may include:
short breaks
We all need space to have a breather sometimes. This is the aim of short breaks (also known as ‘support care’). It’s when children take a little time away from their family and gain new experiences with a foster carer.
Short breaks can involve taking a child in overnight, during the day or over the weekend. They are often planned in advance and can be regular occurrences.
It’s about coming together to make a difference. Short break foster carers quickly become an extension to the child’s family and work with them to script the next chapter of their lives.
parent and child
Parent and child fostering allows you to share your own experience with somebody who really needs the support and advice. It’s your chance to nurture this young generation so they can do the same. Parents can build up their skills, both personally and for their child, and then move on to live independently.
