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Types of Fostering

Children and young people come into care for different reasons which is why we offer a range of fostering placements to meet their needs.

Some of our foster carers specialise in specific types of foster care, whereas others have skills and experience that allow them to provide a wide range of different care. Whichever type of foster care you are interested in providing, we will offer you a whole range of training and support to help you grow your knowledge so you can offer the best care possible.

Short term foster care is for children and young people whose care plan is uncertain. The child may be placed with you following removal from the family home due to concerns, or due to the birth parents unavailability due to illness.

Long term foster care is for children and young people who will not be returning to birth family. Long term care requires a commitment from the foster carer to provide care for as long as is needed. This may be up to the age of 18 years, and even beyond under the new staying put arrangement designed to help young people move on to independence when they are ready.

Providing foster care to children and young people with disabilities is something that we specialise in here at TACT. As a disability carer, you’ll be offering specialist care to children with complex needs which can include physical disabilities, medical conditions or learning difficulties. Caring for a child with a disability can be hugely rewarding as you give the child the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Across the UK a large percentage of the young people needing foster placements are teenagers and there is a huge demand for foster carers to provide safe, stable homes for them.

Respite fostering is when you provide care for a child or young person over a short period of time, usually somewhere in between a weekend to a fortnight. Respite or short break foster care gives families and foster carers a network of support when they most need it.

We know that it is important for siblings to remain together where possible when they need a foster care placement. Children placed in foster care tell us this is what they want. There may be occasions when siblings cannot be all placed together due to concerns of behaviour or risk.

As a charity, we passionately believe that all children need a loving and safe home and where possible if a child can remain with their parents, we believe this is a positive outcome. Child and parent fostering is where you offer a home to both (or maybe to both parents and the child). The parent may be under 18 and will be a looked after child themselves. Sometimes they will be placed during the pregnancy so you can help them prepare.

We are looking for foster carers across the UK to specialise in unaccompanied and asylum seeking fostering. Many of these young people have been separated from their families, either in their Homeland or during transit to the UK. As you can expect, these children are often extremely distressed and frightened as a result of the overwhelming experience they have been through. Fostering young people who are seeking asylum does come with its challenges but is also hugely rewarding as you start see them settle into their new life in the UK. In some cases the children will speak little or no English.

Remand fostering offers a safe family accommodation for alleged young offenders from the age of 10 to 17, while they are awaiting trial or sentencing. Custody can be damaging for vulnerable young people, perpetuating a cycle of imprisonment and re-offending. We believe that remand foster care offers young people the support needed to rethink their actions and to alter their behaviour.

Step down is also known as residential to fostering. Sometimes a child or young person needs the type of environment that only residential children’s homes can provide. However, as they receive support and care to address the behaviours that caused them to be placed in the home, they improve to the point that they are able to be considered ready to live in a family environment and a foster carer is sought.

Many of our short term placements are placed in an emergency. You will not have the opportunity to meet the child or young person beforehand and you have to be ready to accept the child when they arrive. Due to the nature of the emergency, they may be brought to you by a duty social worker or the Police. The child or young person will require additional reassurance and welcome from you.

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