Emergency fostering
Sometimes foster families may look after a child or a young person on an emergency basis. This means that a child or young person may be placed with a foster family very quickly as they have had to leave their birth family in a rush.
Short term
Some foster families care for children for a few weeks or a few months. This is called short term fostering and is normally used to give the child’s family a chance to sort themselves out.
Long term
Some children and young people may live in foster care for longer. This means that they will stay with the chosen foster family for a long time because they can’t go home for different reasons and living in a foster family is best for them.
Respite Care / Short Breaks
Sometimes children and young people, especially disabled children who need a lot of special care, have short breaks away from their home. These children and young people stay with a foster family for a few hours or a few days every so often and then go back home.