Types of Foster Care

There are several types of fostering and we would determine together which type of fostering you and your family would be best suited to.

Respite:

Whether it’s a short weekend break or a couple of weeks, respite foster care allows time for families to take a little break.

Respite fostering is a type of short-term foster placement where the child or children spend a short period of time with a foster family, so their current family can take some time out for themselves or maybe because they have a specific occasion to attend or medical need.

As a respite foster carer, the time you offer for fostering will be mutually agreed and is typically weekends or school holidays. This allows you to fit respite foster care around your own routines.

If you’re interested in becoming a respite foster carer, we are always looking for foster families who are willing to embrace a respite care lifestyle. Our training and support will provide you with everything you need to become a respite foster carer.

Short term:

Where carer(s) look after children for a few weeks or months, whilst more permanent plans are made for them.

Remand Fostering:

Where a criminal court asks the Local Authority to identify a foster placement where a young person can stay whilst they await appearance in court.

Long term or permanent:

For some children adoption is not an option either because they are too old or they have regular contact with their birth family. For these children long term foster care is an alternative where they can live with their foster family until they reach adulthood or are old enough to live independently.

Concurrent Planning:

Concurrent Planning is for babies and young children under 2 in care who are likely to need adoption, but who still have a chance of being reunited with their birth family. Concurrent carers perform the role of foster carer while the courts decide whether or not a child can return to its birth family.