Short Term Fostering:

Short term fostering can be anything from an overnight stay to three months. There may be problems or illness in the family, or the child may have been harmed or abused in some way.

Usually short term fostering provides a safe place for a child to live, while social services work with the child�s family. At the same time, the foster parent and social worker will help the child understand what is happening and to find out what they need to grow up safely.

The aim of most short-term care is to get the child home to its own family as soon as possible.

Emergency Fostering:

Some foster parents offer emergency care, which is usually up to three days. They will need to be prepared to take a child into their house in the middle of the night, for example, if a lone parent is rushed into hospital, or a small child has been left at home alone and no relatives can be found.

Emergency foster care is used when social workers feel it is essential to take the child away from a particular situation. Longer-term plans will then be considered for the child during the next working day, or the child will return home as soon as the crisis is over.

Long Term Fostering:

Sometimes children cannot go back and live with their own families, but the relationship between the child and the parent is still very important to the child and to the parent.

Long term fostering allows a child to grow up in a safe and supportive environment and to keep in touch with their family.

Short Break/Respite Fostering:

Short break, respite, family link, or shared care, are terms that cover a variety of different types of care. Usually, people have children to stay for a short time so that families with special needs children can have a regular break. It also gives the children a chance to make new friends and to broaden their horizons. You might have a child to stay for anything from a few hours each week to a weekend a month.

In some areas, foster parents may help families in an emergency as well as offering planned breaks.

Respite fostering might also include giving a break to full-time foster parents, so that they may also have a break or a holiday.

Pre-Permanent Placement/Adoption Fostering:

If children cannot return to their own family then adoption/permanent placement will be considered. When a child is placed for adoption/permanent placement, the new family (in most cases) has full parental responsibility for the child � as if the child has been born to the family.

Adoption/permanent placement is most often used for babies and younger children who need stable permanent families.

The pre- adoption/permanent placement foster parents help the child prepare for the move to the new family, and help the adoptive/permanent placement family understand the child�s needs and prepare for their arrival.

Mother and Baby Fostering:

Some school age mothers may need foster parents who can support them and help them to care for their babies. They need people who can teach and encourage them without taking over their responsibilities as mothers.

This article was printed with permission from 

http://www.hrs.org.nz/fostercare