Types of Foster Care
Short-Term and Crisis Care
Long-Term Care
Respite Foster Care
As a respite foster carer, you’ll be involved in providing regular, scheduled care and support to young people in foster care. Sometimes kids need some time out from their families or long-term carers, which is where you will step in to provide some much-needed relief and support.
The length of time required for respite stays varies between each case, but it could be anything between one night or up to two weeks. You’ll be stepping into a role similar to that of an extended family member by providing a safe and supportive environment outside the young person’s normal home.
If you’d like to provide help to young people but not sure if you could manage the full-time commitment of placement, then respite care may be a great option for you.
Crisis Foster Care
Sometimes children and young people need to be placed into care urgently while we work to find a long-term solution. It’s crisis carers who step in to provide these vulnerable kids with a safe place to stay in an emergency. Crisis care requires you to be mindful that many of the kids coming into your care have potentially been exposed to traumatic situations and are often dealing with grief.
Crisis carers are a vitally important step in transitioning children into a more stable care situation. This can mean anything from one night to 4 weeks with the young person as finding a placement can take time.
You’ll need to be available at short notice, after hours and on weekends, as emergencies can happen at any time.
Short-term Foster Placements
The initial goal of foster care in most circumstances is to support children and their families to be able to reunite. While this is not always possible, our team works to explore every possible avenue for supporting families to restoration.
As a short-term carer you will provide children with a stable environment and facilitate contact with their families when appropriate to assist in rebuilding the family unit. This type of care can last from weeks to 2 years, as the situations can often be complex and take some time to become safe for the child to return to.
If you’d like to help children and their families reunite and heal, short-term care could be the right option for you.
Guardianship
Guardians step in and assume the role of a parent when a child is unable to be returned to their family. When the NSW Court has placed a child into Guardianship, they are no longer considered to be a young person in care, although case workers and social workers can still provide support to the Guardian and young person if necessary.
As a guardian, you will have full responsibility for raising the child or young person without the need for intervention or consultation with the Foster Care agency. This means you will be assuming responsibility for meeting the young person’s emotional, physical, social and spiritual needs until they reach adulthood. You can find out more about Guardianship on the DCJ website.
Foster to Adopt
As part of the NSW Government’s Permanency Support Program that was introduced in 2017, every child in care will have a goal of finding a safe and permanent home within 2 years of entering care. Where a return to the family is not in the young person’s best interest, they may be considered for open adoption by eligible applicants.
The process for adopting a young person in out of home care varies depending on the circumstances of each individual case. Once you have become the adoptive parent of a child, you will have full legal responsibility to make decisions relating to their care, education and upbringing until they reach adulthood. Adoption is a big responsibility, and if you, the young person in your care or their birth families are considering taking this step, it’s recommended that you spend time discussing it thoroughly with your case worker and other relevant parties first. You can find more information on the DCJ website.
Long-term Foster Care
Placements that run for a period longer than 2 years are known as Long-Term foster care placements. The NSW Government recognises the importance of providing children and young people with long-term and permanent placements and is focused on achieving these outcomes wherever possible.
Carers who have been looking after a child or young person in a long-term setting may be able to apply for legal guardianship or adoption.
Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) step-down
