Fostering is a temporary arrangement for a wide variety of reasons. A foster carer never has parental responsibility for a child in their care, however they do provide a temporary home and safe space for periods in which their own families are not able to care for them. Returning home is always the goal for children in foster care, however for some, this may not be possible.
Types of Foster Care
Long-term foster care may span many years. There may be a plan for a child or young adult to continue their placement until they reach adulthood or are able to live independently. This provides them with a stable and safe living arrangement, allowing them to thrive and meet their full potential.
Short-term foster care can be for days, weeks, or months, or may progress to long-term foster care should the need arise. It may be because of parental ill-health or because they need additional support when facing a challenging transitional period in their lives.
Emergency foster care is short-term and arranged in the event of unforeseen circumstances. It may be that the child’s parents are unavailable to care for them, or because a safeguarding issue has come to light. These placements often have no prior planning or arrangement and can occur at any time of the day or night.
Short-break fostering is to afford the parents or carers of a child with special needs a break. With often highly demanding and strenuous schedules of care, short-break placements allow for families to rest, recover, and generally increase the long-term manageability of the situation.
Placements for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are applicable when a child arrives in the UK without a parent or guardian. They will remain in foster care whilst arrangements are made to either return them to their home country, or whilst they are applying for permission to remain in the UK.
Parent and child foster placements are a specialist area of fostering, and usually involve a parent and their baby moving to a foster placement, whilst the parent gains the necessary help and support needed to develop their parenting skills and abilities.
Conclusion
In an ideal world, all children would come from families who are able to love, support, and care for them until they reach adulthood and can live independently. Where this isn’t possible, a foster placement gives a child the benefits of a stable environment that allows for healthy growth and development.
The foster carer may play a key role in supporting and nurturing a relationship between the child and their birth parent or family, whilst also liaising with the local authority, the NHS, and educational institutions. This way, the child is enabled to live their life in a way that is supported, stable, loving and caring. The developmental effects of receiving positive and healthy care during childhood are fundamental to long-term physical and mental health and well-being
If you would like to find out more about fostering and the amazing difference you could make in a young persons life. Give usa call on 0203 757 0070 or click HERE to receive a call back. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have on fostering and take you through the process.