Emergency fostering is needed when there’s a sudden and catastrophic change in a child’s circumstances caused by – for example – family breakdown, violence, parental illness or police trouble.
This places children who are at immediate risk into temporary foster care at short notice, often with only a few hours’ warning.
Emergency foster care provides a vulnerable child or young person with a safe place to stay until they can return home, or until a longer-term plan has been established.
Children who come into emergency foster care are usually in a state of shock, stress or anxiety due to the events that have led up to them being taken into foster care. This is what makes emergency foster care so challenging and important. Your role as a foster parent is to comfort them and provide them with a soothing environment, where they can feel safe and secure while they’re away from home.
It is also possible to offer emergency foster care alongside other types of fostering.
Want to find out more?
Get in touch with our friendly, experienced team to discuss your potential future as a foster carer…