In a perfect world, a loving family would nurture every child. Children would attend a challenging and exciting school and live in a supportive community. However, the sad reality is that not every child has these opportunities.
Foster care provides children and young people with a safe family environment during a time of crisis. In many situations, foster care can provide vital support that enables parents to address issues that are putting their children’s safety at risk. In some situations, children placed in foster care are reunited with their families once their parents’ issues have been resolved.
At Tutis Foster Care, we will work with you and discover which type of placement is right for you and, most importantly, the child.
The main types of foster care placements are-
Emergency:
Emergency foster care is needed in situations where a child requires a foster home urgently, either for a night, a few days or perhaps longer. This could occur during the day as well as at night, on weekends and other unexpected times.
Short-term/ bridging placement:
To provide a child a short-term placement, whilst a longer term permanent placement is sought/prepared. This may be a future move to a long-term placement, adoption, or return to their family, this can be anything from one night, to two years.
Long-term:
Sometimes children are unable to live with their own families. Long-term fostering allows children and young people to stay in a family where they can feel secure, some contact with their birth family. Long-term fostering can continue until a child reaches 18 years old.
Parent and child:
Parent and child fostering is a type of fostering where parents can be supported alongside their children within a foster family. The Foster Carer provides the parent with help and guidance in order to cope with the responsibility that comes with being a parent. This can be a very rewarding experience for Foster Carers and utilises a number of skills such as caring for children and demonstrating to a parent appropriate methods for caring for their child. Where successful children are able to live and grow up with their birth parent.
Respite:
Respite Foster Carers offer vital support to full-time carers, providing much-needed cover for holidays, weekends, day-care or babysitting. This gives full-time carers the chance to recharge their batteries and enables children to meet new people and have new experiences. Respite carers are still part of the foster care team and the support they provide full time carers is hugely important.
This style of care is attractive to those people who are unable to give a full time commitment, but want to be part of a caring service giving children a loving home and the best possible chance for success into adulthood.
