Types of Fostering

Short term fostering provides children in care with a safe and loving home when they’re no longer able to stay at home; this could be for a number of days, weeks, months, or even a few years.

They're crucial for children and young people whose parents or caregivers are unable to care for them, or for those who may be going through care proceedings where their longer-term care plan is being finalised.

Short term fostering placements are never initially planned to be permanent; wherever possible, foster carers will support the child to return home to their birth family. However, if this isn’t possible, foster parents will support them on their adoption journey or to successfully transition to a long term foster family, who will care for them until they reach 18. For older young people, foster parents will support them up until adulthood, providing them with key life skills and help them transition into independent living.

It’s not uncommon for a child to initially live with a foster family on a short-term arrangement and then remain with them on a long-term arrangement once the child’s care plan has been finalised. In fact, wherever possible, we strive for this as it brings a greater level of stability to a child in care and avoids unnecessary disruption.

What are the benefits of short-term fostering?

Providing short-term foster care is very rewarding as you’re able to help a child during an unsettling and confusing time in their life. They may be in care because of family illness, abuse or neglect, they’re waiting to be adopted or their future guardianship is still being decided. A child needs stability in these moments, and you can make a real difference in a short space of time.

Long term fostering is a type of fostering placement that provides children and young people with a secure and stable foster family who will care for them on a long term basis, often until the child or young person turns 18.

Long term foster care placements are carefully planned and regularly reviewed with a focus on the child or young person building positive, trusting relationships with the foster family and ensuring stability within their foster home. Continuing contact with their birth family is also important in maintaining their wellbeing and so where appropriate, foster parents support regular contact and communication with parents, siblings and other family members.

What are the benefits of long term fostering?

Being a long term foster parent is hugely rewarding, as you get to see how far a child or a young person has come since being in your foster care. Often, children will remain a part of your life even after they leave foster care when reaching adulthood.

Many foster parents attend weddings, university graduations and watch them bring up their own children. It can also be a truly enriching experience for your own children, as they learn valuable life lessons around empathy, sharing and caring for others.

Emergency foster placements are when children and young people need to be placed in temporary foster care, particularly when there’s an immediate risk of harm at home, such as:

• Violence in the home and the child is in danger

• An accident or fire at home

• The child’s parent or guardian has experienced a sudden illness or passed away

In these emergency situations, foster parents provide vulnerable children with somewhere safe to stay and comfort them during these times of uncertainty and distress.

Emergency fostering placements may be required at any time of the day or night. We provide a 24-hour placement service to local authorities, so we’re able to support children and young people in these emergency situations.

Emergency foster care placements tend to last for a night or two, while social workers assess the child’s family situation and if the circumstances are appropriate, locate family members who may be able to look after the child while the situation is stabilised.

There are some circumstances where an emergency placement may extend into several weeks or months, and even become a longer-term placement if appropriate.

Respite foster care (also known as short-break foster care) provides valuable support to foster families who may be experiencing difficulties or simply need some time to rest and recharge.

This type of fostering provides foster families with a short break, while a child in their care stays with their respite foster parent for a few nights. Generally, respite care takes place over the weekend and during school holidays.

Respite care is carefully planned with the foster parent and responsible local authority to ensure the child’s best interests and needs are met.

Wherever possible, we encourage respite foster parents to get to know the children ahead of their first stay, so they can begin to establish a positive, trusting relationship.

What are the benefits of respite foster care?

There are many benefits that respite foster care placements offer, including;

• Providing foster parents with a break from their day-to-day duties

• Helping to make a difference to a child's life - even if you're only caring for a child for a short period of time, you can still provide them with positive experiences

• Offers a chance for a child in care to develop a positive and trusting relationship with another adult

Sometimes, new parents need a little extra guidance and support to help them raise healthy, happy children; particularly if they hadn’t experienced a loving and nurturing childhood themselves.

Parent and child foster parents welcome vulnerable mothers – sometimes fathers too – into their home and provide them with the practical skills they need to care for their child. Placements can occur before the arrival of the child, to help the parents prepare for the baby, after the baby has been born or even a little later in life if there are concerns around their ability to care for their child.

Benefits of parent and child fostering

The role of a parent and child foster parent can be extremely rewarding - by sharing your knowledge and offering invaluable support, you’re helping a family stay together.

As a parent and child foster parent, you’ll:

• Provide a safe, non-judgemental home environment to a parent and their child – this could be a mother and baby placement, a father and child or both parents.

• Help them to understand their baby or child’s development, so they can confidently respond to their changing needs.

• Observe their parenting and keep records, as you may be asked by the local authority to contribute to a parenting assessment.

• Attend regular specialist training to continuously develop your knowledge and skills, so parents and children receive the very best care.

Disability fostering is a type of foster care that requires families to care for children with a range of conditions, such as sensory disabilities, learning difficulties and mobility problems.

There are many children in care who have complex health needs and disabilities, including children with mobility, sensory or learning disabilities, such as autism, ADHD and hyper activism.

While neglect and abuse are the most common reasons for children entering care, not every child will have experienced this. Some have complex health needs or disabilities where the parent either can’t cope or are unable to meet their needs, and so the child may be taken into foster care.

Fostering a child with disabilities can be short-term or long-term, or respite care when foster parents provide a short-term break while their birth parents take a rest.

We need even more foster parents who can meet the complex needs of children with disabilities, while also making sure they stay in regular contact with their birth parents. Experience is beneficial for this specialist type of foster care, but we provide high levels of training to equip you with the skills you need to care for children with disabilities.

Not all children with disabilities need fostering due to an abusive or neglectful past. Foster parents are also there to support the birth families of disabled children by providing regular respite care. As some children with disabilities have a demanding care plan, it’s important that their parents get a chance to rest and recharge.

On other occasions, children with disabilities need to be placed with a foster family because sadly, their birth parents aren’t able to support their complex needs. When you’re fostering a child with disabilities in this situation, regular contact with the birth family is maintained.

It’s important to remember that a foster child with disabilities has not only experienced the heartache and confusion of being separated from their birth family, but they also have their own set of unique struggles. Their behaviour and how they express themselves may have been misunderstood and labelled as inappropriate, bad or problematic. Or they simply don’t know how to communicate what they need. 

Benefits of disability fostering

Here are just some of the incredible benefits of fostering a child with complex needs:

• You become their biggest advocate and supporter

• You help them become more independent and confident

• You help them better understand themselves and the world around them

• You demonstrate what a solid, meaningful relationship is

• You help them discover their interests and passions

• You play a big role in helping them heal from past trauma

• You get to watch them hit milestones and reach their full potential

• You’re there to show kindness, love and compassion when they need it most

• You’re giving a vulnerable child a chance to succeed in life

Remand fostering is designed to support and assist young people involved in criminal, offending behaviour. Young people can be remanded into foster care from the courts and this can avoid them being exposed to more serious offending. Remand foster carers, as part of the team around the child will work with the Court as well as the Youth Offending team.

For many young people who sadly find their way into the criminal justice system, remand fostering provides them with a safe and nurturing environment. Being placed in custody can be damaging, especially for vulnerable young people. It is believed these types of placements decrease the cycle of imprisonment and re-offending. 

Research has found that ​​​​​​the benefits of remand fostering might continue even once the placement had ended. Young people who experienced this type of placements have expressed appreciation for the care and the chance to "sort themselves out". Some reported an increase in feelings of self-worth and confidence, which could encourage changes in behaviour and social inclusion (Department for Education, 2017).

During a remand placement, their foster carer's role is to:

• supervise and care for the young person in their home

• support the young person to develop skills in communication, conflict resolution, relationships, and day-to-day life skills

• keep records, evidence the young person's progress, and report any safeguarding concerns to the young person's Social Worker and their own Barnardo's Supervising Social Worker

• respect the young person's specific ethnic and cultural needs 

• work closely with other professionals

• accompany the young person to and from court appearances

Benefits of remand fostering

Remand fostering can enable you to make a really valuable contribution to your local community. By offering a supportive environment you can exert a positive influence on young people to support them to lead reformed and productive lives. 

Remand fostering can be challenging; however, you won't be alone. Genesis Fostering will be by your side, supporting you 24/7. 

For anyone interested in empowering young people to improve their futures, remand fostering can be an incredibly rewarding journey.