Absolutely. There are several different types of foster care, each designed to meet the unique needs of children and young people who cannot live with their birth families. If you’re considering becoming a foster parent and offering a stable, loving home, it’s important to understand the different types of fostering available and which one might be the best fit for you.
Long-term foster care is ideal for children who cannot return to their birth families and will not be adopted. Long-term foster parents commit to providing a nurturing, stable environment until the child reaches adulthood. At Mosaic, we focus exclusively on long-term placements because we believe that every child deserves the consistency and security of growing up in a stable family.
Short-term fostering involves caring for a child for a few weeks or months while decisions are made about their future. This type of placement often bridges the gap between the child’s current situation and their next step — whether that’s returning to their birth family, moving into long-term foster care, or being adopted.
Kinship foster care places a child with relatives or close family friends when they cannot stay with their birth parents. This arrangement helps maintain family bonds and offers the child a sense of familiarity and comfort during a difficult time.
Emergency foster care provides children with a safe place to stay at very short notice — often within hours. These placements are typically brief and are used when a child is removed from an unsafe environment. Foster parents offering emergency care need to be prepared for immediate placements, often in the middle of the night.
Respite fostering offers short-term care to give parents or foster parents a break. This is particularly valuable for families caring for children with special educational needs, medical conditions, or behavioural challenges. Respite placements can range from a weekend to a couple of weeks, helping to prevent burnout and support the overall stability of the child’s care.
This type of fostering involves looking after young people who have been remanded into foster care by a court while awaiting trial. It requires additional training and strong supervision skills to manage the challenges these young people may present.
Fostering for adoption, sometimes called early permanence, involves caring for babies or young children while authorities determine if they can return to family members. If reunification isn’t possible, the foster parent may proceed with adopting the child. This requires dual approval as both a foster parent and adoptive parent.
Therapeutic foster care supports children with complex needs, such as trauma, mental health issues, or behavioural challenges. At Mosaic, our SMILE therapeutic framework ensures you receive immediate, tailored support. Our in-house therapeutic team offers interventions within hours, helping to address challenges early and maintain the stability of placements.
Parent and child placements involve fostering a parent (usually a mother, but sometimes a father or both parents) and their baby or toddler. Foster parents offer guidance, support and assessment to help the parent learn how to care for their child. This type of fostering often plays a key role in court proceedings, where your observations and daily records are invaluable.
Fostering UASCs involves caring for children who arrive in the UK alone. These young people may have faced unimaginable trauma and require specialised support to help them adapt to a new culture, navigate legal systems and feel safe. Patience, empathy and cultural sensitivity are essential.
Choosing to foster is a life-changing decision, and the type of foster care you choose can shape the impact you make. At Mosaic Foster Care, we specialise in long-term therapeutic fostering, ensuring every child receives the support they need to grow into adulthood.
Speak to a Mosaic foster parent today to learn more about the types of fostering we offer and how you can play a vital role in a child’s journey to a brighter future.
