Types of fostering 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:

  • Emergency placements
    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 (Temporary) placements
    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.

  • Long Term (Permanent) placements
    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 placements
    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.

  • Parent and child placements
    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.

Contact details

There are different ways you can contact a member of our fostering teams:

  1. Call our freephone number 0800 232 1157 and a member of our administration team will put you through to the relevant local TACT fostering office.

  2. Find out where is your nearest local TACT fostering office and contact them by phone or email.

  3. Fill in our online fostering form to register your interest and a local TACT fostering staff member will contact you within no more than three working days.

Relevant links

If you're ready to apply, register your interest now by filling our online form.

Relevant publications

Read our guide to fostering, Transform a life. Become a foster carer (PDF, 8 pages). Please note that the brochure is also available for Scotland and in Welsh.