Fostering

Each foster carer chooses what is right for them and their family. That could be caring for a child one weekend a month or looking after them for a few months.

As a foster carer, you could care for children of all ages or sibling groups. 

Short-break

This involves providing a short-break for children with disabilities. From a few hours each week to one weekend per month, for planned breaks or in an emergency you can provide welcome support to families.

Long-term

Some children and young people may not be able to return to live with their families.  These children need foster carers who can make a permanent commitment and care for them until they are old enough to live independently.

Respite and shared care 

You could offer weekend placements. This could be for children living with their family or with full-time foster carers, to give them regular breaks.

Contract carers

This service provides emergency placements for children with disabilities as and when required.

Assessment and remand

This is a full time job. It pays a higher fee to recognise that one carer will be at home. Placements could be for up to six to eight weeks. You would participate in the assessment and support the young person during this time.

Some foster carers may choose to offer a remand placement. This is also 6-8 weeks and occurs when a young person is remanded into the care of the local authority by a court. The young person may have conditions attached to the placement. The foster carer receives training in court issues.

Private fostering

This is when a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) is looked after by someone who is not a parent or close relative for 28 days or more. Close relatives are step-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers or sisters. It's important to inform us.

Special guardianship

These orders address the need for permanency for young people in care where adoption is not the right plan. 

These orders provide greater security and permanence than the alternatives offered for the child or young person . They give parental responsibility to their carers without ending the child’s legal connection to their birth family.