Short term fostering means providing a child or young person with a place to stay until they can return to their own family, or until it becomes evident that they need a more permanent foster placement or possibly adoptive parents.
There are various reasons why children might need to be in short term fostering:
- awaiting a more permanent home
- undergoing court proceedings (this is called remand fostering)
- undergoing assessments, where the child’s social worker carries out an assessment and determine a care plan for the child
- family breakdown or parental illness
- neglect, abuse or child protection issues
During a short term placement, foster carers need to be able to provide a safe and secure environment for children to carry on their day to day life, continuing to attend school and see their friends and family wherever possible.
As a short term foster carer: you will be able to support a child through a difficult transitional period in their lives or help them rebuild a broken relationship with their own parents after a family crisis or domestic issues.
This type of placement requires you to be available to respond to urgent or short notice requirements for a placement.
Interested in learning more? We’d love to hear from you.
Set up your no-strings-attached callRead about real experiences of being a short-term foster carer
“I always try to teach a couple of simple life skills.”
Trishun and Matt provide short-term and emergency foster care. These types of placements can last from one night to a year and give a child a caring home environment to live in while plans are made for their future.
“She said my home had been her happy place”
Jane L and Jane H are two foster carers with a wealth of experience. They both specialise in providing short break foster care, which used to be known as respite care, for children with special educational needs (SEN).
Could you be a foster carer?
There are so many things about you that will make you a great foster carer, but there are a few practical things you need too.
How we’ll support you
With our 24/7 helpline, dedicated social workers, expert training, generous financial support and an incredible community of foster carers there's lots of reasons to choose to foster with us.
What's the process?
Welcoming a child or young person into your life is an incredible thing to do - and a big decision to make. We'll make sure you have the information you need to work out if it's right for you and where you are in your life.