What is foster care?

Sometimes children need a safe, supported and stable home environment when they cannot live with their families. 

Each child’s experience is unique; therefore, their care needs differ.

Foster care may involve offering full-time carers with a break such as respite care. Some children need short-term foster care before they may return to their families or live with grandparents or kinship carers, and other children might transition into long-term foster care if they cannot return to live with their parents.

Types of foster care

The type of foster care you choose will depend on your own lifestyle and personal circumstances. It is not uncommon for foster carers to provide more than one type of care. We are here to walk alongside and support you to make any decisions about what type of care best suits you and your family.

Immediate care

Immediate care can last from a few nights to two weeks. Immediate carers are contacted to provide care to children at short notice and may be contacted at any time during the day.  

Short-term care

Short term care can last from two weeks up to two years. The aim is to provide children’s birth families some time to manage any challenges. Children may return to their family, and foster carers play an integral role in partnering with birth families to safely resume care of their child. 

Long-term care

Sometimes it may not be possible for a child to return to their birth family. In this case, long-term carers are required to be able to provide stability and care to a child until they turn 18.

Specialist care

Specialist foster carers provide care for children and young people who have more complex needs. These needs might include emotional, behavioural, or medical challenges that require extra support and expertise.

Respite care

Our respite carers provide care to children for short stays on weekends, during school holidays and ad-hoc overnight stays. Respite carers give full-time carers a break and act as another positive influence in children’s lives.