ways to foster
types of fostering
types of foster care
Everyone deserves a place to call home. A place to feel safe, be loved and have the opportunity to grow.
Fostering provides family-based care for children and young people who cannot live with their parents or other family members.
This can be anything from an overnight stay or short break, to more long-term placements. No two children are the same and neither is the care they need.
short-term foster care
Short-term foster care can mean providing temporary care for children in Monmouthshire for a matter of days, weeks or months as their plans for the future are confirmed.
Despite this small time frame, you can make a big difference to a child’s life. Short-term foster carers in Monmouthshire not only provide a safe and supportive environment for a period of time, but work closely with our team on defining the journey towards the long-term for the child: to their family, another foster family or adoption.
long-term foster care
Long-term foster care can involve a child or young person remaining with a foster carer until they reach adulthood, leave care and beyond. So, rather than a long-term placement, we like to think of the journey as joining a new home.
Long-term care is offered to children who cannot live at home with family and offers a stable, secure alternative with permanence. It means a child has a stable foster family for life.
specialist kinds of foster care
Short-term and long-term cover all kinds of foster care, including some more specialist types which have a specific type of approval. These could include…
short breaks
Sometimes we could all do with a break. Respite and short breaks provide children with the chance to get some breathing space away from their family.
Short breaks (also sometimes called ‘support care’ or ‘respite’) can mean taking a child in overnight, at weekends or for a couple of weeks, often on a regular basis.
Short break providers become an extension to the child’s family, offering a holiday from everyday life and providing support when it is needed most.
parent and child
Sometimes, both parent and child require help. Parent and child placements mean sharing support and helping parents in need learn from someone who has experience. This often involves helping parents to learn how to care for their child safely in a supportive and safe environment.
It is a dual role: it’s not just about nurturing the next generation, but about helping them feel equipped to do the same.
therapeutic care
Some children have complex emotional, behavioural or medical needs and require an extra level of ‘therapeutic’ care.
In Monmouthshire, this is supported by a multi agency partnership, MyST (My Support Team), who help provide children with the care they need within their local communities.
