What are the different types of Foster Care?
Long Term
Long-term foster carers may have the same child living with them
for many years. Perhaps they arrived at a very young age, remaining
with the same foster carers through childhood, even while at
college or university.
Short Term
Short-term foster carers can have children placed with them for
anything from one night or weekend, to a few weeks or months. It
may be the case that the child’s family are trying to cope with
some difficult times, and cannot have the child home until things
are better at home.
Respite Care
Respite foster carers look after children usually for a
planned break from the birth family.This can be for many reasons,
perhaps the parents are ill. Also if a child is placed in a
long-term placement, they may need a break or the foster parents
may also need a break! When this is the case, respite can be
planned and introductions made to the respite carers before the
first stay.
Emergency
Some foster carers offer emergency care. This means that if a
child is removed from their birth family because they are not safe,
whatever time of day or night, they can be placed with emergency
carers. This type of placement is usually only for a few nights,
until alternative foster care can be found or the child is returned
home.
Relatives or Friends as Carers
Sometimes it is possible that a relative of the child,
or someone who knows the child well, can be approved to
look after that child for the short or long term.These are called
relative or kinship carers. It could possibly be
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbours, a teacher or
siblings of the child.
Support care
Support care is offered to families who are having serious
problems and require a break. It is used as apart of a wider
package of support to the family to prevent the child or children
from coming into care on a full time basis. Support care is
usually on weekends only, and is ideally suited for people who work
full time but still want to foster on the weekends. Support
carers need to be skilled and confident in working with the
children's parents and often have a professional background in
working with children and/or families.