Types of Foster Care
Emergency Foster Care
This is when a child comes into your home for a short time. Commonly, foster parents are given short notice in only hours. Foster parents can be contacted with an emergency placement during the middle of the night and on weekends. Foster parents will get little to no information about these children. The children may also come to your house with nothing, other than the clothing on their backs.
Respite Care for Foster Parents, Children and Youth
Respite care for Foster Parents is when a child comes into your home for a few days. Commonly, the child goes to the same respite home when the foster parents need a break. At the Sheltering Tree | Child & Family Services each child will receive 2 days a month, and 2 emergency days a year of respite care. Respite care can improve the foster parent’s knowledge before they have a full-time placement.
Short Term Foster Care
The child will be living in your home for a short period of time either, days, weeks, or months. They will be living in your house full-time and the length of time varies. Short-term placements can be due to different circumstances for the birth parents or a transitional period.
Long term Foster Care
This is when the child is not able to return home to their birth parents. This child will stay in foster care until they are adopted or transition to adulthood. Hopefully this child can stay in one home during this time.
‘I couldn’t foster because I’d get too attached.’
–That’s why I’m fostering. Those children are worthy of that love and attachment.