Short-term fostering

Some young people may only need a foster home for a short, fixed period, of time until they can return to their birth family.

It could be, for example, that their single birth parent, with no extended family able to help, needs to have a medical operation that would leave them unable to care for their child for some time. In this situation a short-term foster carer would be needed.

Action for Children Fostering will be with you all the way, supporting you emotionally, financially and with regular training.

Find out more about our support and training.

Short-term fostering involves working in a team with birth families, a dedicated social worker and the local authority. It is also likely to require input into decisions concerning the young person’s longer-term care.

The need for a short-term foster carer may happen at short notice or in an emergency situation. Short-term foster carers need to be available to respond quickly in these cases.

Being able to provide stability and security for the young person in a short-term arrangement is essential to minimise any adverse impact their immediate situation may have on them. Enabling your young person to continue to go to school and keep up their regular day to day routine is really important, as well as allowing them to see their friends and family wherever possible.

We recognise that, even in the short-term, attachments can be made. It may be difficult for short-term foster carers to have many young people come and go from their lives in a short space of time. We will fully explore how this may impact you and your family and will provide you with training, support and techniques to help you.

We celebrate the amazing work all of our foster carers do and we will be there for you if you need any additional emotional support.

Our extensive, tailored training programme will provide short-term carers with the skills they need to help their young people settle in and feel cared for straight away.