There are many different types of foster care placements and the type of placement depends on the needs of the child being fostered.

For example, a youngster may be in need of emergency foster care, short-term foster care, part-time foster care or long-term foster care.

The length of a foster care placement will vary depending on each individual child’s situation. A foster care placement may last for days, months or years.

As a foster carer, you may be required to look after a baby, a child, a teenager or sometimes a mother and baby, or a family.

You will decide what age range will suit your family (eg) younger or older. Some children or young people requiring fostering may have specific needs such as disabilities, or they may be asylum seekers or refugees.

Foster care involves looking after the child or young person on a day-to-day basis and meeting their needs. It also involves liaising with the child’s family and working alongside school teachers, medical professionals, social workers and sometimes legal professionals.