The Different Types of Foster Care Placements

Providing foster care doesn’t always come easy but there’s something really rewarding about being apart of somebody else’s story – no matter what kind of person they may be facing adversity from.

There are many different types of foster care placements, but 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. You will decide what age range will suit your family (eg) younger or older. 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.

Types of Placements

Apple Fostering specialise in making emergency, parent and child, sibling groups and those with special needs. Our aim is to provide safe and secure accommodation for children in a family that is as similar to their own as possible in terms of race, culture and religion. We offer a range of placements that are vetted to ensure they are carefully matched.

These include:

  • Fostering Babies and Toddlers
  • Children with Disabilities
  • Sibling groups
  • Parent and Child
  • Emergency
  • Short Term Foster Care
  • Long Term
  •  Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Types of Placement

Long term placements

For some children a return home will not be possible, and they will require a foster placement for the remainder of their childhood. Sometimes a short term placement will become long term if the child and foster carer are a good match. Long term fostering can be very rewarding watching a child or young person grow and develop over time.

UASC placements

There is a real shortage of fostering families who can offer unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) a safe refuge. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have fled their home country without a parent or responsible adult to look after them. Most of them will need help with learning to speak English and adjusting to a very different culture and lifestyle. Some may have complex needs because of their past experiences.

Children with disabilities

For many, taking on the responsibility of a child with disabilities can seem daunting. However, you can rest assured that Apple will provide 24/7 support and a huge range of training and development opportunities. By providing young people with a safe and stable home to live in, you’ll give this young person an opportunity for success.

Short-term placements

Short term fostering can last for days weeks or months depending on the reasons why a child needs care outside of the family. Children may return home or move on to another form of permanency. Meeting the child’s needs during placement, ensuring stability, and preparing them for the future, working alongside the child’s social worker are key tasks.

Emergency placements

Sometimes children need to be placed in an emergency and we will not always have full information about them. We need foster carers with the skills and empathy to provide care to children or young people who may be confused or upset having suddenly been removed from a familiar environment. (please remove the reference to 24/7 etc we don’t offer placements out of hours)

Parent and child placements

Parent and child fostering is the placement of a child, usually a baby with its mother, father or occasionally both parents. The purpose of the placement is to provide the parent with support and guidance in relation to the care of the child, working closely with the child’s social worker and contributing toward their assessment.

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0203 432 0663

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