What is short-term fostering?
Short-term foster carers can look after a child from a few days up to 2 years. The majority of children will return to their family home once their situation has been resolved.
As a short-term carer your role would be to provide a stable home with the support and care the child needs for as long as it is required. In addition you play a crucial role in ensuring that the child has regular contact with their own family and, when the time comes, help them to prepare for their move back home.
In situations where it becomes clear that the child is unable to go home we will find them a permanent new family (through the adoption process) or, if this is not appropriate, move them into long-term foster care. In this event you will help the child prepare for the move to their new family.
Short-term fostering: an example story
When Andrea was born, her mother left her in the hospital and didn’t come back. The hospital staff alerted the police and Andrea was taken to one of our emergency foster carers’ house. Brighter Futures for Children became her ‘corporate parent’ and Andrea went to live with one of our short-term foster carers. She was looked after as a newborn until she was 9 months old. We then found an adoptive family to give Andrea a home and the foster carer helped her transition to her new family.
