Types of fostering – Fostering South West

Fostering is about opening your home to a child in need, and there are many ways to do it. There are many different reasons why children and young people need to be fostered, so we provide different types of fostering stay.

You can choose to specialise in one but may decide to change the type of fostering you do throughout your fostering journey.

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Short term fostering

A temporary arrangement for children in care. We look for short term foster care when parents are unable to care for their child on a temporary basis, usually up to two years.

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Long term fostering (Permanence)

Where a foster carer agrees to care for a child or children for long periods, often into adulthood.

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Emergency foster care

This places children who are at immediate risk into temporary foster care at short notice, often with only a few hours’ warning.

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Short breaks (Respite care)

These are arrangements for children and young people for a short period of time, allowing them to enjoy new experiences and build trusting relationships with other adults and children.

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Specialist foster care

This 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.

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Parent and child

Where a young parent, who may be within the later stages of pregnancy or with a newborn, stays with a foster carer.

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Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

Children arriving in the UK without their parents or carers usually go into the care of their nearest public authority and will often live with approved foster carers when there is no suitable family member or guardian to care for them.

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Supported lodging

Supported lodgings carers offer space, support and care to a young person aged 16-21 in your own home.

Two women and two children are sat on a sofa, with one of the children playing a keyboard. The woman on the left is wearing a cream jumper, a teenage child is sat on her right also wearing a cream top. The young child playing the keyboard is wearing an orange top, and the woman on the right of the sofa is wearing a check blue top.

Staying put

A staying put arrangement is where a young person who has been living in foster care stays in the foster home after the age of 18.

Want to find out more?

If you’re interested in discussing your potential future as a foster carer with a member of our team, we’d love to hear from you…

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