Fostering

Foster care in the short or long term is a way of offering children and young people a safe, friendly environment living in a family who can offer support and guidance. The benefits of such care can be apparent as he/she moves on in life regardless of whether this is a return to parental home, a move to permanent placement or indeed into their own accommodation.

All children have the right to be cared for, nurtured, supported and guided through life. The task of fostering is not easy, however it can be a very rewarding one. It is a role that requires considerable commitment because caring for another person's child affects all those in the household.

Temporary Foster care
Temporary Foster care can mean anything from a week to a few years. The expectation is that the child or young person will be moving on either to return to the parental home or into a permanent placement. Temporary carers have an important role to play in preparing children to move on and this usually involves regular contact with the child's parents and social workers. They are also likely to be closely involved with the child's school, Children's Panel and perhaps other professionals, all of whom are interested in helping to meet the child's needs and promoting the child's well-being.

Although temporary care is challenging and our temporary carers are generally kept very busy, there are rewards, the main ones being that you can help a child through a difficult period in his or her life and may help a child to return home or move on to a permanent setting.

Other forms of temporary care are: "planned respite" which can offer either parents or foster carers some respite; "weekend care" which can involve giving a child from a residential setting an opportunity to experience family life at the weekend, holiday time; and "supported lodgings" which is a stepping stone for a young person moving on into independent living.

Permanent Foster Care

This form of foster care means welcoming a child or young person into your family and supporting them until the time is right for the child to move on to a more independent setting. The option of permanent foster care as opposed to adoption is dependent on individual circumstances. There may well be legal or emotional barriers preventing adoption but the needs of the child are such that they require a secure permanent placement.