Depending on the child’s needs, some may only need to stay in foster care for a few nights, while others require a more permanent family environment. Some kids might also need certain things, such as being cared for by somebody who has experience with disabilities or a young child of their own. If you are considering fostering in the UK, we are the best option for you.
UK Fostering offers various fostering environments to match all needs and circumstances. A child might need care for only one day or several years before they’re ready to be transitioned into a family home – it’s entirely up to their situation and the foster family that they are matched with. There are many types of fostering.
Short-Term Fostering:
Foster care is meant for children and teenagers who need some temporary help.
It’s one of the most common types of fostering, allowing foster parents to make a difference in a young person’s life. This is an incredibly transformative time for them.
Fostering is a long-term commitment, so finding the right fit for you and your family is essential.
Long-term fostering:
Long-term foster care means that a child or young person lives within one committed home until they become an adult. It gives children in this type of care a greater sense of belonging and consistency. Even when they find themselves in different foster homes, they are still part of the same family, which is good for them as it helps them settle into their communities.
The permanent one-to-one support that a long-term foster parent can provide is what young people need to thrive.
Emergency Foster Care:
Sometimes children need foster care in an emergency. Emergency fostering may be the right choice if you can provide a safe and nurturing home to a vulnerable child or young person in the short term.
Respite Fostering:
Sometimes it’s hard to foster children all the time, so respite care is a valuable option. As a respite foster family, you allow other foster parents or birth families to rest by taking on caring for their foster child for some time. Usually, this lasts for around two days up to one week – often at weekends or during holiday breaks.
Sometimes, a plan in place for ongoing employment is to have you care for the same child every few weeks.
Respite fostering is always planned with the child’s best interests in mind. We’ll work with you and the local authority to create the best arrangement for everyone.
Step-down fostering:
There are many reasons why children may find themselves in foster care, often because there are no foster placements available when they need them. Their lives can be significantly improved by living with a foster family.
We offer children in step-down programmes the care and support they need to transition back into their home family successfully. You’ll receive the help you need, too.
