Children may require short-term fostering while their families work towards providing a safe environment for their return, or until their specific needs are better understood and a suitable long-term foster home is found. As a short-term foster parent, your role is crucial in providing the care and support they need while preparing them to transition to a long-term placement or return home.

The duration of short-term fostering can vary greatly, from just a day to several years, with no set limit on how long it might last.

Short-term fostering is an excellent option for those who can commit to fostering for a defined period or are skilled in caring for young people of specific age groups. It’s particularly suited to individuals experienced with older children or those approaching retirement who want to make a meaningful difference before retiring fully.

Not all children in care can return to their birth families. In some cases, the best solution for them is to create a permanent home with a foster family. Long-term fostering involves caring for a child or young person until they reach adulthood and are ready to live independently.

This is a significant, but immensely rewarding commitment. As a long-term foster parent, the child becomes a permanent part of your family, often building lifelong connections.

Young people in long-term foster care can also benefit from ‘Staying Put’ arrangements, which allow them to remain in the foster home after turning 18. This provides stability and support as they transition to adulthood, often extending until they turn 21 or longer if they are in education.”

Some foster placements require additional skills and training. For example, you may care for a child or young person who needs a high level of therapeutic support or host a mother and baby needing a safe home for a few months.

If you feel equipped to handle these specialised placements, we’d love to hear from you. Fostering is incredibly rewarding and can change the lives of children, young people, and the foster parents who support them.

Young people in long-term foster care often benefit from the ‘Staying Put’ programme, which allows them to remain in their foster home after they turn 18. This arrangement ensures they have the same opportunities as other young adults who live with their parents.

With Staying Put, young people can stay in their foster home until they are 21, or longer if they are still in education or training, providing stability and support as they transition into adulthood.

Short break care allows foster parents to step in temporarily while the primary foster parent takes a break. This option is ideal for individuals, couples, or families who want to provide care on a part-time basis.

Short break care typically happens on weekends or during school holidays, making it a great fit for people with full-time jobs who still want to make a positive difference.

Fostering siblings means keeping brothers and sisters together during a challenging time in their lives. Being placed in foster care is already a traumatic experience, so local councils and fostering agencies work hard to place siblings in the same home whenever possible.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always feasible, especially when there are multiple siblings, leading to separations that can add to any existing stress. If you have a larger home, you could foster siblings together, either short-term or long-term, and help them maintain their essential family bond.