Emergency fostering
Emergency placements happen when a child needs to be removed from their home immediately — often late at night or at weekends. Emergency carers need to be available at short notice and comfortable with uncertainty, as very little may be known about the child initially.
Placements typically last a few days to a few weeks while a longer-term plan is made.
Short-term fostering
The most common type of fostering. Short-term placements last from a few weeks to up to two years. The goal is usually to reunite the child with their birth family, or to find a permanent placement (adoption or long-term foster care).
Short-term carers work closely with social workers and birth families to support the child's plan.
Long-term fostering
When a child cannot return to their birth family and adoption is not appropriate, long-term fostering provides a stable, permanent home. The child will live with you until they're 18 (or beyond, under "Staying Put" arrangements).
Long-term carers become a constant in the child's life — attending school events, celebrating birthdays, and providing the stability every child deserves.
Respite fostering
Respite carers provide short breaks for other foster carers or for birth families under stress. This might be a weekend, a week during school holidays, or regular scheduled breaks.
It's a great entry point for people new to fostering who want to experience caring before committing to longer placements.
Parent and child fostering
In these placements, a parent (often a young mother) and their baby live with you. Your role is to assess and support the parent's ability to care for their child, reporting observations to social workers.
This type requires strong observation skills and the ability to work sensitively with vulnerable adults.
Specialist / therapeutic fostering
For children with complex needs — severe behavioural difficulties, disabilities, or those who have experienced significant trauma. Specialist carers receive additional training and higher fees, and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Remand fostering
Providing accommodation for young people who have been remanded by the courts as an alternative to custody. These placements require experienced carers with specific training.
Private fostering
A private arrangement where a child under 16 lives with someone who is not a close relative for 28 days or more. Private foster carers must notify their local authority, but the arrangement is not managed by a fostering agency.
Which type is right for me?
Most new carers start with short-term or respite fostering. As you gain experience and training, you may move into specialist or long-term placements. Your fostering agency will help match you with the type of care that suits your skills and circumstances.