Types of foster care

This is a short term fostering arrangement which is usually done to ensure a child is looked-after whilst their family works to resolve any issues they are having. The aim might be for the child to return to their birth families, but, if the decision is made that the child cannot return home, they will move onto a more permanent placement or an adoptive home.

This is a short-term, organised fostering arrangement where you provide care for a short period, maybe a couple of nights, to allow a child’s permanent foster carer to have a break! This might be on a regular arranged basis, or it could be a one-off!

A permanent foster home is needed for children and young people who are unable to return to their birth family, and finding an adoptive home is not in the child’s best interests. This commitment is long-term, and often, permanent foster carers will provide care and support until the child reaches the age of 18.

Parent and child fostering is a unique type of placement where you open your home to a child and their parent(s). It is designed to give the parent(s) a safe place to live whilst their Social Worker carries out an assessment on their parenting capacity. As a foster carer, your role would be to support the parent and help the social worker assess the parent’s skills!

Although it can be challenging, it is incredibly rewarding, and you can be the reason a family has been able to stay together.

Short-break foster care is an organised arrangement for children who do not need full-time foster care as they continue to live with their families. The children may have complex needs, such as a disability or complex health condition, or it could be that for some families, a short break is needed to prevent a breakdown of the family home, which could result in the young person coming into full-time foster care. Every family differs from the next, so these arrangements often vary to allow the child’s parents to work through any issues they are experiencing.

The arrangement could be a regular holiday break, weekend or overnight commitment to one or more children, depending on what is required.

Currently, the need for foster carers to care for teenagers is growing as more teens enter foster care, and there are fewer foster carers to cover this need. Fostering a teenager can be challenging, but it is an incredibly rewarding role as you help guide them into adulthood and through key milestones in their development.

Emergency foster carers are vital for us to be able to care for Plymouth’s children. It requires a level of flexibility as emergency carers have the commitment to be available to welcome a child into their home at any time of day or night due to an emergency which has meant they need a safe place to stay and be cared for.

Emergency foster care can range from one-night stays to four weeks, but we agree upon rest periods depending on the length of care needed.

This type of foster care includes finding a safe foster placement for children who have had to leave their countries of origin through no fault of their own. We seek to find placements for these children where they can reside until they are 18, where they can thrive and be supported.

In Plymouth, we have children of all abilities who need a loving home where they are supported to thrive. Caring for a child with a disability can vary from child to child and might sometimes require additional training or equipment for the child to be safe. With this in mind, we provide comprehensive additional training and needs assessments to evaluate the additional provisions needed to make your home a safe space for a child with additional needs.