We are keen to recruit as many different foster carers as we can, to make sure we provide the right arrangements for all. Fostering for a night, a week, a month, a year or more, sharing your heart and home can shape a child's life and future for the better.
There are different types of foster care available. Our foster care advisors will work with you to understand which one is best for you and your circumstances.
- Short term
- Long term and permanence
- Short break support
- Specialist foster care
- Parent and child
- Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
- Older children and teenagers
- Larger sibling groups
Different types of fostering
Short term
Short-term fostering is a temporary arrangement for children in care. It can last up to two years. It is often required when parents are unable to care for their child on a temporary basis, until their child's plan is finalised. Short-term foster care can also be required while parental assessments are carried out or longer-term care plans are made.
Due to the nature of these placements, short-term foster carers often meet a child's birth family and agree to support court agreed family time (also known as contact arrangements). If you are a short-term foster carer, you can expect to do things like arrange travel to and from contact venues and prepare the children for their family time. Foster carers need good communication skills as they are expected to update social workers during any visits.
In some instances, if agreed by the foster carer, short term care can lead to long term or permanent arrangements to give children a sense of stability and support.
Long term and permanence
Long-term fostering is where a foster carer agrees to care for a child for long periods, often into adulthood. Children benefit from greater stability from a young age right through to the age of 18 and beyond. It can offer looked after children consistency and support throughout their childhood. For some, it will be their first experience of a stable and caring family life.
In some circumstances, young people may continue to live with their foster family after they have turned 18. This is known as staying put, and is an agreement from the foster carer that the child can stay in their home until the age of 21 or beyond. This can mean that young people benefit from consistent support and encouragement as they transition into adult life.
Short break support
Short break support is sometimes known as respite care. As with all families, foster care adults and children can benefit from time away from their usual living arrangements.
Short break foster carers look after children and young people for a short period of time, such as days or weeks. This can allow children to enjoy new experiences and build trusting relationships with other adults and children.
Short break support can also be accessed by other foster carers, who are able to enjoy much deserved downtime or breaks. It can be particularly beneficial to both children and carers of those who have complex needs.
Short break care is often a good introduction to fostering. It might spark an interest in taking up full-time fostering further down the line.
Specialist foster care
Specialist foster care requires carers who are willing to care for children or young people who have higher levels of need. To be a specialist foster carer, you will complete extra training.
Specialist foster carers look after children who have additional physical, emotional or educational needs. They may need to attend more doctor or school appointments. Specialist foster carers may also care for teenagers who need more support. Young people in this age group often need extra guidance and consistency to help them through an often tricky and emotional stage of their lives.
For this role, foster carers need to have excellent communication skills to work in partnership with the care team surrounding the child or young person. Collectively, they provide stability and resilience.
Parent and child
Parent and child fostering is where a young person, who may be either in the later stages of pregnancy or have a newborn, stays with a foster carer.
This type of fostering is sometimes called parent and baby foster care. The foster carer shares parenting skills and provides guidance and support for the early stages of a baby's life.
You'll need to complete additional training to be a parent and child foster carer, which is not as common as short-term or long-term fostering.
The primary focus of the foster carer is to help the parent and child stay together as a family. They help with parenting tasks and support the parent to develop the necessary skills to care for their child on their own in the future.
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
There are a growing number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children across the region, who have no responsible adult to look after them.
Sadly, they have often been forced to leave their families and homes for a variety of reasons like wars, natural disasters, famine, disease or persecution. Most of these young people are boys aged over 14. They need a safe and understanding environment to help them heal from the trauma they have experienced. Often, they speak little to no English and need help adjusting to a new culture and support with their education.
Part of the foster carers role is to help these young people to maintain their identity. They do this by promoting the religion, language, culture and heritage of the young person and helping them to plan for their future.
Older children and teenagers
The teenage years are a crucial time of development for young people. Unfortunately there can often be negative perceptions around fostering them. Depending on your circumstances, teenagers can bring a great many benefits.
At this age they are becoming more independent. They are in full-time education and need less practical care and supervision. They need a safe and stable home, with someone they can trust, as they transition through what is often a sensitive time of their lives. Being a foster carer to an older child or teenager can have its challenges but it is so rewarding when you see the difference you can make.
Fostering an older child or teenager is about showing them how to become a well-rounded individual that can see the possibilities society has to offer them, and equipping them with everything they need to fill their potential. Seeing the results of this can be the most rewarding experience.
Larger sibling groups
Some foster carers who have the space available may be asked to care for larger groups of siblings (3 or more). We believe that wherever possible, keeping sibling groups together is the best option for the children. In these situations, we like the foster carers to have more experience. We can provide additional training and support as the placement progresses.
Get in touch
Our team of fostering experts are always on hand to help. Speak to our fostering hub co-ordinators to find out more about the different types of fostering, and which ones might suit you.