foster family

Types of fostering

As no two children are the same, there are many different types of foster care. Some children and young people may just need fostering for a few nights, while others need a more permanent family environment.

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What's right for you?

Some children and young people may just need fostering for a few nights, while others need a more permanent family environment. And some may have very specific needs, such as a disability or a young child of their own to care for.

We provides several types of fostering to ensure we meet each child and young person’s requirements and match the foster children with the best type of foster home for their situation. This can range from helping a young person with the transition from residential care to a family home or providing a foster child with a caring family environment for several years.

While you are going through the process of becoming a foster parent in your region, we will help you prepare for all of the different types of fostering, so that you can find out which kind of type of fostering would be the best for you and your family.

If you’d like to talk through the different types of fostering or to find out more, please get in touch with us.

Discover how fostering will affect your finances

Don’t let finances be the barrier to starting your fostering journey, discover our essential guide to allowances, tax, National Insurance and claiming benefits whilst fostering.

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Different types of foster care

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of children need fostering?

There are a host of reasons why they need foster care. It may be because of a family illness, family breakdown and problems at home, or a situation where their welfare is threatened. Many will have experienced neglect and physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

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Can I choose the kind of fostering referral I have?

Yes, when you join FCA we really get to know you and your family so we have an understanding of your preferences, skills and qualities.  Our aim is for the children and young people in care to have a positive fostering experience in a stable environment.  We work really hard to ensure when we put you forward to care for a child and young person so we have the best possible match.  We understand that there may be times where you turn down a referral and we will always respect your decision.

What is fostering?

Fostering is providing a safe and stable family home for a child or young person who can’t live with their birth family. There are many reasons why children need foster care.

Learn more about fostering

What training will I receive as a foster parent?

We pride ourselves on being a learning organisation and are proactive in helping both our foster parents and employees to develop their skills, knowledge and experience.

We are committed to providing high quality training that is accessible and relevant to all of our foster parents.

Learn more about our training and development

What kind of support will I receive?

We wouldn’t expect anyone to foster without the right support, so when you foster with FCA you are not alone.

Become a foster parent with us and you have access to:

  • Social Work Support– you will have a dedicated supervising social worker who is your main point of contact and will organise monthly meetings and support for you whenever you need it
  • 24 / 7 support
  • Training and development - We will prepare you to foster and keep developing your skills with an ongoing training programme featuring both face to face and online courses thorough our Learnative portal.
  • Events and activities – we host a range of events and activities for all the family to enjoy.
  • Online portal – Join our online community with our portal The Exchange just for FCA foster parents. It gives you free and instant access to information and advice right when you need it – day or night, 365 days a year. Plus access to a range of discounts to some major retailers and online stores.
  • Fostering Network membership - useful and practical benefits, including insurance, legal protection, medical and stress advice helplines, as well as a foster care magazine.

Do I get any breaks or holidays while fostering?

We do offer respite your supervising social worker can speak to you about what it entails.

How can we help?

Ready to start fostering a child or young person? Or just want a bit more information to help you decide whether fostering is for you? All you need to do is contact us.



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