Different kinds of fostering

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 quickly as they have had to leave their birth family.

Short term

Some foster families care for children for a few weeks or a few months. This is called short term fostering. It 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 they will stay with a foster family for a long time. This is because they can’t go home for different reasons and living with a foster family is best for them.

Respite care and short breaks

Children and young people, mostly disabled children, have short breaks away from their home. They stay with a foster family for a few hours or a few days every so often and then go back home.