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Emergency Foster Care – Everything You Need to Know

Friday 22 July 2016

Emergency Foster Care – Everything You Need to Know

There are many different types of foster care you can chose to get involved with. Emergency foster care is one area which is often overlooked. So what exactly is emergency foster care and why are we in desperate need of more emergency carers?

Understanding emergency foster care

In an ideal world, all foster placements would be well planned out in advance. However, in some situations it isn’t possible to decide a placement ahead of time. For many reasons, some children come into the foster system on an emergency basis, requiring immediate care. That’s where our wonderful emergency foster carers come in.

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There’s no telling when an emergency placement might come up, which means that emergency carers need to be available at night and on weekends, as well as during the day. Emergency care is require for a number of reasons, it could be that a child’s parents have been taken into hospital, or worse, the child’s parents may have passed away. In these types of cases, the children are left with nowhere to go and need an immediate place to stay until longer term arrangements can be made.

Things to consider

Before deciding whether emergency foster care is a good fit for you, there are a few things you should consider.

First and foremost, children requiring an emergency placement are often scared and confused. They haven’t had time to get their head around the situation or they may be too young to do so. Suddenly they have found themselves in a strange environment away from the people they know and love. Therefore, emergency foster carers need to be extra patient and understanding.

The length of an emergency placement can vary depending upon the situation, this means that a placement could turn into a short-term or more permanent placement, though the majority of emergency placements do tend to last just a few days. It is therefore important that emergency carers are able to be flexible in the length of time they can accommodate a child.

Out of all of the different types of fostering, emergency carers take on a more transitional role, and although at times this role can be demanding, it is also extremely rewarding.

Benefits of emergency foster care

So what’s in it for you if you choose to go down the emergency care route? Well, firstly you can take comfort in the thought that you’re helping a vulnerable child right when they need it most. You can make a significant difference to the child’s life even if it is for such a short time.

We ensure that our carers receive all of the support and training they need so you will never be alone, and the fact the role is usually more temporary can make it a good option for first-time carers. If you’re just getting started in your fostering career, emergency care can help get you accustomed to the process. You’ll look after a variety of different children and the short-term nature of the work involved gets you used to fostering and all that it entails.

If you’d like to find out more about emergency foster care, get in touch today. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and provide further information on this important and incredibly rewarding role.

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