About fostering

Respite care is when you look after a child to give their usual foster carer a break or holiday. You provide care on a part-time basis.

It can be from as little as a weekend a month to a few days or several weeks at a time. Respite care is most often needed in the school holidays. 

Respite foster care usually suits people who: 

• have just started fostering 
• have a flexible, full-time job
• do not want to commit to full-time or long-term care

You'll be matched with a child or young person and introduced to them in a planned way. You will be told about their routine and any contact they have with their parents. 

Short-term foster carers usually look after a child from just a few weeks, to up to a year. 

The care is provided usually while their parents are assessed by social workers and other professionals. 

Short-term fostering usually suits people who: 

• are new to fostering 
• do not want to commit to a long period of fostering 
• would like to help more children

Permanent fostering is when you look after a child until they are an adult.  

Permanent foster carers become the primary long-term carer for a child. They offer a loving, secure and stable home environment. 

Permanent fostering usually suits people who:

• want to bring a child into their family long-term 
• commit to meeting the child’s needs as they grow up

You can care for a child with disabilities for a few weeks, for several months and sometimes until they're ready to live independently. 

The children often have learning difficulties, autism and sometimes physical disabilities.

This usually suits people who have personal or professional experience of caring for children with special educational needs or disabilities, or relevant transferable skills.