Flexible Fostering- What's Right For You?

Every person who decides to become a foster carer is doing something amazing but no two are the same. There are many different reasons why people decide to foster, just as there are many different reasons foster children are placed into care. Every situation is different and this calls for a flexible approach to fostering to meet the needs of every child.

As a Families Together Short Break carer it is a privilege helping to support children and their families as a unit.

-Liz, foster carer

Task Centred Foster Care
Task centred foster care, also known as short term foster care can range from a one night stay to a period of up to two years while it is  assessed what the next best steps are for the child’s future care. This type of care is primarily for children who need a temporary place to stay before returning to their families or who will be placed with a longer-term foster carer or adopted. Some people worry that with task centred foster care, you may have a long gap between placements but when you foster with a local authority like Fostering Rotherham, you will find that this most often isn’t the case. 

Emergency Foster Care
Emergency foster carers are prepared to take a child into their home at any time, usually for up to a few days. This type of fostering often requires un unplanned move, offering temporary safety and care until further plans are made. Similarly to task centred foster care, this is temporary but is usually for a shorter period of time and at shorter notice. This type of foster care would be perfect for someone with a somewhat flexible lifestyle who would love to foster and offer support to the children of Rotherham but aren’t able to foster full time.

Long-Term Foster Care
Not to be confused with adoption, if children are not able to go back to their own families for an extended period of time, long-term fostering offers children a more stable home, often lasting until they are 18 and older. Placement stability is key for the development of all foster children and can be equally rewarding for the foster family. Unlike adoption, children in long-term foster care remain legally under the care of the local authority.

Second Home Care
Also sometimes known as respite care, second home care is short term care that allows foster children some time away from their foster carers in order to have new experiences with foster carers that are familiar to them, like a second family. Being a second home carer might be perfect for you if you feel you want to support a child in care but are not sure full time care is right for you.

Whatever type of fostering you do, it will be one of the best and most rewarding decisions you ever make. If you’d like to learn more about anything in this article, please feel free to speak to our team.