Types of Placement (including changes e.g. Adoption)
Contents
- Introduction
- Types of Fostering
- How Many Children can I Foster?
- Exemptions
- What If I want to Adopt my Foster Child
1.
Introduction
There are many different types of placements and some fostering agencies may not offer the full range. If you are considering adopting your foster child please see below.
2. Types of Fostering
Short-term / Task Centred Fostering:
Short-term carers provide temporary care for a child/young person, who is unable to live with their family. The child could be placed in a foster home for a period which lasts from one night to several months, depending on the circumstances and the legal situation. Short term fostering happens if a child needs to leave their home, for various reasons, but when the intention is for them to return home once any difficulties have been sorted out. Short term fostering can last for more than a year while we find a new permanent home, either by longer term fostering or adoption. In these circumstances the foster carer helps to prepare the child to move to a new family. Carers are also closely involved in helping the new family understand the needs of the child and prepare for their arrival.
Longer-term Fostering:
Sometimes children are unable to return to live with their parents. Longer term fostering allows them to remain in contact with their family, whilst growing up in a safe and caring environment.
Children who are fostered long term live with the foster family and will continue to be visited by a social worker.
Regular meetings will take place every 6 months to make sure that they are settled. Foster carers are supported by the child's social worker and a family placement worker during the placement.
Longer term fostering is different from adoption. Some children don't want to be adopted but need to be in a safe and caring environment as they grow up. Long term fostering provides that security and helps those young people achieve their potential.
Connected Persons / Family and Friends Carers:
Connected Foster Carers provide placements for a child/young person who cannot live with their birth parents but can live within their extended family network, or a friend of the family. These placements help to provide continuity of care, family, school and friendships, networks and keep the child/young person’s cultural and individual identity.
Mother and Baby Placements:
We sometimes need foster carers who can support young mothers and help them care for their babies. Some carers have developed skills in this area of work. They take part in assessments and encourage young mothers without taking over their parental responsibilities.
Specialist Fostering:
Our specialist scheme provides foster placements for children aged 11 and over who have particular needs, behavioural difficulties, or children with severe disabilities.
Foster carers need to make a commitment to see these children through times of difficulty, and to be available at any time they need support. For example, if excluded from school, or if they need to appear in court. Specialist foster carers need to have great flexibility in their part-time working arrangements, or need to be at home full time.
Specialist fostering placements may be short or long term, depending on the child's needs. Because of the level of skill and time involved, specialist fostering is a full time commitment and carers are paid a retainer and a weekly fee, on top of the normal weekly fostering allowance.
Support or Respite Fostering:
This is part-time foster care for children. Part-time care may be needed to help families in difficulty, providing a break for parents and children. These breaks are often over weekends or holidays.
Part-time foster care is also used to offer a break to full time foster carers, or to provide cover if foster carers are unwell or face family difficulties.
Children in residential schools sometimes need care with a foster family at weekends and school holidays.
Sibling Groups:
Where brothers and sisters are placed together.
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children:
Foster carers who provide placements for a child/young person seeking sanctuary and asylum from their own country of origin.
3. How Many Children can I Foster?
On approval the fostering service will decide on how many children you are approved for, what age, gender and category of approval. There are times, however, when the fostering service may ask you to take a child/young person outside your approval range if it is felt this would be way to meet the child’s needs.
When this happens the fostering service can vary your approval for a short time either to allow for longer term plans to be made or for a review of your approval as a foster carer to be done so that your approval status can be changed in order to accommodate the child for a longer period.
4. Exemptions
The 'usual fostering limit' is three, so nobody may foster more than three children unless:
- The foster children are all siblings (then there is no upper limit); or
- The local authority within whose area the foster carer lives exempts the carer from the usual fostering limit in relation to specific placements.
In considering whether to exempt a person from the usual fostering limit, the local authority must consider:
- The number of children whom the person proposes to foster;
- The arrangements which the person proposes for the care and accommodation of the fostered children;
- The intended and likely relationship between the person and the fostered children;
- The period of time for which he/she proposes to foster the children; and
- Whether the welfare of the fostered children (and any other children who are or will be living in the accommodation) will be safeguarded and protected.
5. What If I want to Adopt my Foster Child
Adopting a child is very different to fostering. This is about making a forever commitment to the child so this needs to be considered carefully. The most important thing is that there is a Permanence Plan for the child to be adopted and if this is the case and you would like to find out more then speak to your Supervising Social Worker.
If the decision is to proceed, an assessment will be done focusing on the potential of you as a prospective adopter and whether this will be in the long-term interests of the child. You will receive the same assessment, preparation and training as other prospective adopters.
Long-term fostering may be another option. It has proved to be useful for older children who retain strong links with their birth families and do not need the formality of adoption and where you may value the continued involvement of the local authority.
Long-term fostering has the following advantages:
- The local authority retains a role in negotiating between you and the birth family over issues such as contact.
- There is continuing social work support to the child and your family in a placement that is regularly reviewed to ensure that the child's needs are met.
- It maintains legal links to the birth family that can still play a part in the decision making for the child.
Long-term fostering has the following disadvantages:
- The foster carers do not hold Parental Responsibility and this may delay or complicate decision making;
- Continuing social work involvement can be an intrusion into the child experiencing ‘family life’;
- Regular Looked After Reviews, which can be an intrusion into the child experiencing ‘family life' be regarded as an intrusion in a long standing and stable placement;
- Stigma attached to the child due to being in care;
- The child is not a legal member of the family. If difficulties arise there may be less willingness to persevere and seek resolution;
- Post care and/or post 18 the carers have no legal responsibility towards the young person.
