Foster Care - The Types Of Fostering | National Fostering Group

Types of foster care

Meeting the needs of vulnerable children

National Fostering Group offers several types of foster care. These have been designed around the needs of the child. We’ll also help you make the choice of which one is right for you and your family, including your birth children.

Whatever types of foster care you settle on, you’ll have our full support in everything you do. Staring with your basic mandatory training, we offer many opportunities to improve your knowledge and skills so you can be your best in your role. Many of our optional training courses are useful for particular types of fostering and could help you specialise in types of fostering that attract a higher fostering allowance.

You will also be assigned a Supervising Social Worker and you’ll build strong contacts at your local National Fostering Group agency. You’ll also have access to 24/7 advice and strong peer support. If you are a carer in Kent, you could also benefit from the additional support network at Heath Farm, one of our agencies which operates a therapeutic fostering structure known as Mockingbird.

Types of foster care

Emergency foster carers

Emergency fostering come at short notice, when a baby, child or young person needs to be rehomed immediately if it’s not possible or unsafe for them to stay where they are. They are very varied by nature and require flexibility and patience.

Emergency foster care

Short-term fostering

Sometimes, short-term (or temporary) foster care is required in the interim before children can be moved to a longer-term family or be returned to their family home, where possible. Foster carers like you can help by giving children all the care and attention they need as they settle into their temporary home and prepare for their next move.

Short-term fostering

Parent & child fostering

Parents sometimes need a little bit of extra help caring for their children. We need foster carers to be on hand to help develop the parents’ skills whilst they learn from you. These type of foster care are typically 12 weeks long but may last longer.

Parent & child fostering

Bridge to Foster

Bridge to Foster is a type of temporary foster care which helps foster children adjust to the significant step of moving on to somewhere more permanent. We support you with a specialist package that aims to equip you with skills and resources as you prepare them.

Bridge to Foster

Long-term foster care

Sometimes the best solution is for the child to remain with a foster family for several years or up until they are ready to take care of themselves, which is where long-term foster care comes in. More often than not, the child will become a firm member of your family for the rest of your life.

Long-term foster care

Respite foster care

Respite care provides short-term care for children with the same carer, allowing emergency support for long-term foster carers. We arrange planned respite where possible, so the child can build a trusted relationship with the respite carer.

Respite foster care

Fostering a baby

As you might expect, this is a demanding role with a lot of responsibility. It’s a highly specialised role for an experienced foster carer who might have additional skills and training. We recommend you consider being available to foster young children of other ages too.

Fostering a baby

Remand fostering

Young people in the criminal justice system might be in need of a foster care while waiting for their court date. As a remand foster carer, your support and encouragement can make a real difference in helping young people into a better future.

Remand fostering

Fostering siblings

We do everything possible to keep siblings together when they are placed into foster care. This type of foster care is in demand. Can you provide a home for two or more brothers or sisters in a stable environment together?

Fostering siblings

Unaccompanied children

This group includes asylum seekers, refugees and migrants who have arrived in the UK without parents or close family members to look after them. Foster carers should be prepared to support their foster child in recovery from trauma and the practicalities of learning English.

Unaccompanied children

Staying Put

Staying Put provides the opportunity for a young person in foster care to get into or continue education and training. It also gives them more time to make the transition into adulthood and independent living.

Staying Put

You might already have an idea of what kind of fostering appeals to you. Get in touch – we can talk over the process of becoming a foster carer in more detail.

Types Of Foster Care: Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of foster care in the UK?

The types of fostering in the UK are many and varied. There are numerous reasons for children needing a foster parent; some are urgent and some can be planned for. All children have different requirements, meaning that there are different types of foster care.
Examples include emergency, short term fostering, bridging to adoption, mother and baby and respite care.

How does foster care work?

To become a foster carer and embark on a truly rewarding and fulfilling experience, you can start by completing an enquiry form. After receiving an information pack and a callback, you’ll embark on the application process, which involves a home visit and an assessment. To find out more about the process of becoming a foster carer, you can contact us or visit our becoming a foster carer page.

What’s the difference between foster care and adoption?

Both foster care and adoption involve helping vulnerable children and young people who have experienced less fortunate upbringings and circumstances. However, the key difference between the two is in the legalities.

While foster parents have a duty of care, the legal responsibility ultimately rests with the children’s Local Authority and their birth parents.

When a child is adopted, the child’s legal relationship with their family is ended, and the sole responsibility now rests with the adoptive parent or parents.

Another key difference between them is the flexibility of fostering, where adoption is permanent. With fostering, you can choose to participate in long-term, short-term, or even respite care, where you provide temporary foster care while the child’s main caregivers take some time out for themselves.