Types of placements
TACT provides a variety of placements to children and young people across the UK. Their needs are given priority attention to offer them the best place to live in. Here is a list of the different types of placements required by TACT:
Many children and young people are placed in emergencies. This is often due to situations of risk where the need for urgent action is required to make a child safe. These placements can last for either a short time or develop into longer periods of a few months, depending on family circumstances.
Short term foster carers provide a temporary place to stay until the child can return home to their own family, move into a longer-term fostering placement or an adoptive family is found. This can last for a few weeks.
When a child or young person cannot return home, decisions have to be made to find a permanent family for the child. These placements will usually last until the young person leaves care at 18 years of age. Often they remain as part of the carer’s family even when they have moved into independence.
Respite involves children living with their own family or foster carers, but having short stays with another foster family to give their family/main carers a break. At TACT, this usually involves looking after a child or young person who is placed with TACT foster carers for a weekend or one to two weeks.
This type of placement is provided to a mother and/or father and their child/ren where foster carers can provide support and guidance to the parent(s) and help them develop parenting skills.
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer or want to find out a bit more, you can contact one of our local offices and talk to one of our staff who will be more than happy to answer any of your questions. Alternatively, read on or download our brochure Transform a life. Become a foster carer (PDF, 8 pages, 786KB).
