Your role as a foster parent can be life-changing for the people in your care, impacting how they grow as individuals in later life. You can give them the tools they need to build resilience and thrive throughout their time in education and beyond.
No matter what type of fostering you choose to explore throughout your journey, you will have an effect on the young people in your care. Whether that’s for a few hours or for several years, you can be the positive influence they deserve in their time of need.
Let’s take a closer look at the variety of foster care that you could offer throughout your fostering journey.
The different types of foster care
You might have a specific type of foster care in mind when you start your fostering journey; however, there are actually lots of different options available to you as a foster parent, depending on your preferences.
Short-term
This is one of the most common types of fostering and can range from a couple of weeks up to two years. The aim of short-term foster care is to reunite children with their families if possible. Short-term foster care can also be used while more long-term arrangements are put in place.
If you want to help lots of different children at such a pivotal point in their lives, then this type of fostering will be for you.
Long-term
Long-term fostering offers a child a loving, stable home for longer than two years, typically until they turn 18. This is the solution for children who aren’t able to stay with their birth families for whatever reason.
This type of fostering is perfect for you if you want to make a long-lasting impact on a child’s life and watch them grow in real time.
‘Staying Put’ arrangements allow foster children to stay with their foster family once they reach the age of 18, too, to ease the transition to adult life.
Respite foster care
Respite care is a temporary fostering solution that aims to give foster carers a short break. All of our foster parents are entitled to two weeks of respite if they choose to take it. Offering this short-term form of foster care will see you temporarily have a foster child come and stay with you, typically on weekends or during school holidays.
This option is ideal if you’re not able to foster full-time and will offer you more flexibility. It’s also planned in advance, so you have plenty of time to adjust your schedule if you need to.
Emergency placements
Children can sometimes need a place to stay unexpectedly, such as if their caregiver has been taken into hospital or there’s been a crisis in the home. This could last from a few hours through to a couple of days, and can happen with very little notice at all. Emergency foster care is a vital service that foster parents can provide.
You’ll need to have more flexibility with emergency placements, as the call could come at any time of day or night. However, your caring nature will make a difference for a child in their time of crisis.
Parent and child fostering
A specialist form of foster care, parent and child fostering sees you welcome a young parent and their child into your home and support them to improve their parenting skills. Your role would be to give guidance and support where needed so that the parent can learn to care for their child’s needs. You’ll also observe and assess the mother and/or the father’s parenting capacity.
This fostering allows families to stay together and can have a wonderful impact on their future. Parent and child fostering placements are a less hands-on approach to fostering and tend to last up to 12 weeks.
Fostering sanctuary-seeking children
Every year, thousands of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arrive in the UK in need of a loving home. When you provide this type of fostering, you offer them the safety and stability they need to thrive in their new environment.
We prioritise cultural matches for this variety of foster care, seeing that a child is matched with a family that shares elements of their culture, such as language, religion, and ethnicity. Foster parents who don’t share the same cultural background can help to support their foster child’s identity by taking part in some of our online e-learning courses.
Fostering children with additional needs
Children with complex needs deserve to have loving homes where they can be nurtured. Fostering children with these additional requirements can be the ideal type of fostering for those who have experience with caring for similar individuals. This could see you supporting young people who are neurodivergent, have learning difficulties, or are physically disabled.
You’ll have a range of support to meet your needs with this type of fostering, as well as great training resources that you can use to improve your learning and development.
Fostering siblings
Keeping siblings together in foster care can be beneficial to their well-being, so we try to facilitate this whenever possible. This is an excellent way for siblings to strengthen bonds, and for you to give them the opportunity to stay together instead of being separated into different placements.
If you want to make a difference in siblings’ lives and have the space in your home to do so, this kind of fostering could be a good fit for you. Sometimes siblings can share a bedroom, but in most cases, they’ll still need one of their own.
Choosing the right type of fostering for you
Working your way through the steps to fostering is just the beginning of your journey. Next, you’ll need to decide which type of fostering to cater for once you’ve been approved as a foster parent.
Here are a few things to consider:
- Commitment – you’ll need to think about how much of a time commitment you’re looking for with fostering. Would you prefer a long-term arrangement where you can really bond with your foster child? Or would you prefer less of a commitment with short-term placements or respite care?
- Flexibility – emergency placements demand a lot of flexibility in your schedule, giving you little notice for immediate and often unplanned care, whereas respite fostering is typically planned well in advance. How much flexibility would you prefer from fostering?
- Specialist care – want to make a difference for those who need specialist care? Parent and child fostering, caring for children with complex needs, or offering a home to young people seeking sanctuary may be for you.
- Structure – how much structure would you like in your fostering experience? Would you be happier with less structured short-term commitments or would you prefer something longer that offers you more routine?
The good news is that you won’t be alone in making your decision. You can chat with your supervising social worker once you’ve been approved as a foster parent to decide which type of fostering you would like to explore throughout your fostering journey.
How do I know if fostering is right for me?
Fostering is a very rewarding vocation for those who choose to do it. While it can be hard at times, the emotional payoff when you see the children in your care thriving makes it all worth it. If you want to find out more about who can foster and whether this is the right move for you, our friendly team of advisors can help answer any questions you may have on 0800 369 8515.
Think about your lifestyle, family, and any commitments you have at the moment. Would you be raising your own children alongside any foster children? Or have your children left home, and you’ve got a spare bedroom ready to welcome a foster child? Does your current role offer you the flexibility to foster, or would you want to make a career change to foster full-time?
Chances are that if you’re already thinking about fostering, then you’re halfway there. You could be better suited to this change of career than you think.
Is it better to foster with a council or an agency?
This will entirely depend on your personal preferences and circumstances. However, it’s worth noting that if you foster with a smaller fostering agency such as Clifford House, you’re more likely to get the support that you need throughout your fostering journey. We’re passionate about supporting our foster parents at every stage of their journey so that you get the help you need when you need it most.
By fostering with a smaller agency like us you get a whole range of benefits, including:
- A dedicated supervising social worker
- Access to a 24/7 helpline
- Training that’s tailored to your needs and interests
- A generous fostering allowance
- Free membership to Foster Talk
- Support groups and fun events for all the family
- Discounts and savings via our exclusive discount scheme
Curious about fostering?
There are lots of different types of fostering depending on what you think would suit you and your family best. Whichever type of fostering you choose to do, the most important thing is that you’ll be making a difference in a child’s life and giving them the loving home that they deserve.
Do you want to know more about fostering and what this could look like for you and your family? You can find out more about the fostering requirements and everything else you need to know by talking to one of our friendly team members. Simply fill out an enquiry form or give us a call on 0800 369 8515 to find out more about the fostering process.