Some children need to be cared for away from their home for a short period of time. This is often so that decisions can be made about their future. If there are brothers and sisters, every effort is made to keep siblings together in the same foster family – sadly this can’t always happen. It is important for us to find as many foster carers as possible who could consider caring for more than one child at a time.

There is no typical reason for a child or children needing to be looked after by a foster carer. We will always try to keep children with their families and offer support to enable this to happen, rather than look after them away from their homes and families. When children do need to be cared for away from their homes, this could be because their family is experiencing a crisis and has requested that their child is looked after for a short time while they sort out their difficulties. Alternatively, children may have experienced some form of abuse, trauma or neglect which has resulted in them being placed elsewhere for their own safety.

Children who are looked after by foster carers in the short term can be any age. All children will experience distress at being separated from their family and are likely to show some emotional reaction to this. Short term fostering can be for a period of days, weeks or sometimes months. Sometimes decisions about the child’s future cannot be made quickly and placements can last a year or longer. 

If a child is unable to return to the care of their birth family, but adoption is not appropriate for that child, long term foster carers may need to be found to care for them.

As the title suggests, these foster carers will normally care for a child for a longer period of time than a short term carer – often through to independence. Children who need long term fostering are likely to be older children. These older children may benefit from keeping in regular contact with their brothers, sisters, parents and wider family.

Children in long term placements may stay with their foster carers until they leave home to live independently. However, it may be that changes occur, and decisions can be made which result in a child returning to the care of their parents earlier than expected.

Long term fostering allows children and young people to live with a family where they can feel secure and experience a stable family environment, while maintaining contact with their birth family where that’s right for them. Foster families who can open their homes to these children right through to independence are currently being sought by Worcestershire Children First Fostering.

Respite foster care is time limited. A respite foster carer could care for a child for a week or two at a time, for example during school holidays, or at weekends – and could be the same child on a regular basis. Foster carers who offer respite fostering generally look after children who are already cared for on a full time basis by other non-related foster carers, or by kinship carers (extended family members). Some dedicated respite carers will have a regular arrangement with a particular child or sibling group and become an important part of the child’s care plan. This respite period can benefit both the foster carer and the child.

A foster carer who is approved as a short term or long term carer can also provide respite care if they have the capacity and you may choose to do this between placements.

If you are approved as a respite carer and consider alternative types of fostering during your fostering journey you can speak with your fostering social worker about changing your approval and this can be explored further at any point.

This is providing regular respite to a particular child or children over a continued period of time. The expectation is for the Buddy respite carers to become an extended part of the fostering family network, providing at least 12 respites per year to provide the foster carers and children with a break. This connected respite provides consistency for the children and offers the opportunity for the respite carers and children to build a relationship.

• Buddy Foster Carer leaflet (PDF) 

Parents who are unable to meet the child’s most basic needs and protect them, will sometimes need somewhere to live where they can be supported in looking after their baby or young child. This type of foster placement can help a family to stay together and is, therefore, highly valued. The foster carer would be asked to give practical and emotional support to help the parent to develop the skills required to meet their own and their child’s needs. 

Placement Plus Scheme. Some children’s and young people’s experiences have been so difficult they need additional help and support. For example, the children may need to be supervised closely, have a medical condition that requires round-the-clock care, display challenging behaviour, or find it hard to form relationships.

These children and young people may require residential care if the Fostering service is unable to find the right carers with the right knowledge and skills to meet their needs.

Whilst caring for children and young people that are part of the placement plus scheme can be highly rewarding, it is also demanding. For this reason these carers have access to an enhanced package of support and receive a specialist fee in recognition of the skilled and committed work they undertake

Placement Plus Scheme