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Different types of fostering

Every child is different and deserves care to meet their specific needs. At Tree House Care, our foster carers provide homes for children of all ages 0-18 years, and we carefully match each child with the best family for their needs and personality.

A couple sit on a park bench with their young child. The child is sitting on their laps and they're snuggling and talking with the child.

As a Tree House carer you might provide some of the following care:

Short-term

This can be providing foster care for a single night, for a few weeks or as much as 2 years. Children who need short-term foster care may do so because of their parent’s health issues, ongoing court proceedings deciding the child’s future care, or whilst they are waiting for adoption to be confirmed. Looking after a child short-term can often involve more contact with the child’s birth parents and may focus on helping the child prepare for their next move. Many newly approved foster carers start with short-term placements as they offer the experience of meeting and caring for children of different ages and care needs.

Feeding. Adorable baby child eating with a spoon in high chair. Baby's first solid food

Long-term

Fostering a child long-term means welcoming them into your house as a member of the family until they reach adulthood. The stability this offers gives the child a chance to properly settle and as a foster carer, there is no greater reward than seeing a child grow and thrive in your care. This kind of fostering is ideal for families wanting to build a strong, lifelong bond with their foster child.

A father and his teenage son playing basketball outside the front of their house in the North East of England.

Emergency

Sometimes a child may need care because of an unanticipated event such as violence in the home or a parent involved in a health emergency or accident. As a foster carer, you may be contacted without notice and will need to be flexible and adapt to the situation to calm and reassure the child. Emergency foster carers also help the child transition to a more permanent home.

Respite

Respite care provides birth families or other foster carers with a well-deserved break for a couple of days to a full week. You may provide regular care for the same child, or it may be a one-off. Respite care works well for families who can’t commit to long-term fostering but still want to make a difference. Many people who are new to fostering use respite care as a way to gain experience.  As a foster carer with Tree House Care, we also try to provide up to 14 nights of respite care for your family.

Family Walking Through Winter Woodland

Therapeutic/Trauma Intervention

While all of our foster carers benefit from therapy-focused training and have the support and insight of our in-house Trauma and Attachment Therapist, some children require specialist care for trauma intervention. These children are likely to have complex needs and the love and stability a therapeutically trained foster carer can offer can help these vulnerable, traumatised children reach their true potential. Offering this level of care is challenging but incredibly worthwhile and rewarding.

Happy little girls with dirty hands and faces having fun being creative with finger painting

Fostering a child with a disability

As a foster carer for children with disabilities, you’ll provide specialist care for a wide range of medical conditions, physical disabilities and learning difficulties. We provide our foster carers with bespoke training to meet the child’s individual needs. If the child needs any specialist equipment that can also be provided. Witnessing the progress a child makes when they receive the right care is the most heart-warming and fulfilling experience, and we’ll support you every step of the way.

Mother and her special needs son play in the living room, they laugh together.

Whichever type of care you give as a Tree House foster carer, your love, dedication and understanding can make a real difference to a child in need. And of course, we’ll support you 100% of the way, with our specialised therapeutic training and 24/7 support.