ways to foster
types of fostering
types of foster care
There are different types of foster care, but every single one shares the same core values: to provide a safe and stable home where children can grow. A place to live, learn, laugh, and feel loved.
Fostering can be as short-term as an overnight stay or something more long-term. No two children are the same, and the foster care they need isn’t either. There’s no such thing as a typical foster family.
short-term foster care
Short-term foster care can mean anything from an hour or a day, to a month, or even a year! This type of arrangement is in place for when plans are still being thought through.
As a short-term foster carer, you’ll work with us as we secure the ‘long-term’, sometimes referred to as permanence. This will mean always being there for a child when they need you, and then helping them to move on too, when the times comes.
A short stay isn’t less significant. Every single step in the journey counts, and this is often the first. It’s a step in the right direction, and that is what’s important for every child in our care.
long-term foster care
Long-term foster care provides children who can’t live at home with a new home and a new family.
It means matching the right foster child with the right carer for as long as they need you. Long-term foster care gives a child a stable environment to call home. A foster family for life.
specialist kinds of foster care
Short-term and long-term can include different kinds of foster care, such as types which have a specific type of approval:
short breaks
Short breaks enable children to take some time away from their family – time to breathe. We can all do with a breather occasionally, after all. It can mean taking a child in overnight, during the day or at weekends.
These breaks, sometimes called ‘support care’, are often arranged in advance and provide children with new experiences and opportunities. By offering a child a short break, you can become an extension of their family and make a world of difference during their time away.
parent and child
Parent and child placements enable you to share your own parenting experience with a parent who needs extra guidance and support in a stable environment. It’s about helping parents develop the skills they need to care for their child on their own.
therapeutic care
A different kind of care can sometimes be required for children who have more complex needs. That’s where therapeutic placements come in. Therapeutic carers and their children have additional support available to cater to their unique circumstances.
