fostering a good fit: identifying what type of fostering suits you best

The fostering options available will vary according to where you live. Please bare in mind that I write from an Australian perspective. Broadly speaking, there are five likely options relating to duration of placements, for children in three broad areas of need.

Duration

• Respite

Respite may be planned one weekend per month or more frequently if needed, or it may be slightly longer during school holidays for example. Respite is usually planned, and time limited. Carers may provide respite for other carers, or for birth families.

• Emergency

Emergency foster care is often required with little warning, at any time of the day or night. An emergency placement may be needed because of a sudden crisis, the breakdown of the previous placement, or when children are first removed. Emergency placements may be for one night, but are often longer. The exact duration of the placement is hard to determine.

• Short term

Short term foster care refers to placements that are not expected to last longer than a month or two - this exact period of time varies between agencies and situations. Short term placements may transition into longer term.

• Medium to long term

Anything from three months or so and above may be considered a medium to long term placement. These placements are for children where families have considerable issues to address before reunification is viable, or for children where a return home is deemed unlikely. Foster care needs are changeable. A child may be considered in need of long term care, and a relative may unexpectedly come forward. Expect change.

• Permanent

Permanent care is not strictly foster care, and no doubt varies in how it is defined and how it operates from country to country. In Australia, children may be placed on Permanent Care orders because it is not possible for them to ever return home. Put simply, permanent carers commit to care for a child permanently. This gives the child stability, and the opportunity to grow and develop within the support of a "forever" family.

Situations

• Voluntary foster care.

This is generally an arrangement between a support agency, birth family or caregiver, and a foster family to provide support families within the community, often without the involvement of a statutory body. Voluntary arrangements may be for weekend respite, for emergency and short term placements (eg when a mother goes into hospital to have another baby). There may be contact between the two families to share information.

• Children subject to a protective court order

In Australia, children who are subject to a protective court order may reside in foster care while their birth families are supported to meet the requirements for reunification. Children may be placed on orders for a range of reasons, and for varying lengths of time.

• Children with disabilities

Families of children with disabilities often need additional supports to meet the needs of the child and his or her siblings. This kind of care can range from weekend support to shared or long term care, and anything in between. Children with disabilities may also be subject to a protective court order, but not necessarily.
Many foster parents choose to foster in one or more of these areas, depending on need and the fit of the child to the carer’s situation at the time the referral is presented to them.

In addition to considering the different types of fostering, there are more specific factors for foster parents to weigh up when deciding what type of fostering is the best fit.

• Siblings or one child

Would one child or a sibling group suit you better? There are no hard and fast rules about this - it depends on the carers capacity to manage one or more foster children, potentially in addition to their own. Factors include space in the home and car, and practical / emotional availabilty to meet the needs of more than child. Some carers find it easiest to care for one child only, others have capacity to take in whole familes.

• Ages

Carers can choose to foster babies to teens, toddlers to tweens. It depends on your own comfort level with the challenges and needs each developmental stage brings, and the fit within your own family if you have children. The fit is impacted by space, pecking order, carer time, household safety and more. Generally speaking, it works well to ensure that any foster children are younger than the carer’s youngest child. This safeguards against displacing existing within the family, and can be protective. A seven year old child is more likely to cope with an aggressive two year old than with an aggressive nine year old. However, some families cope really well without taking this into consideration. It is impacted by the skills, time availability  and resilience of families and caregivers.  

• Behaviours

As part of the training, prospective carers are alerted to a range of behaviours that they can expect from foster children. Generally speaking, the behaviours are not out of the realms of normal childhood behaviour, but frequency and intensity may well be! This is a very subjective area. Some carers can cope with soiling, others will find it too difficult. Swearing is a hot button for some, property damage for others. There are a range of complex behaviours, and not all foster carers have the capacity to manage everything that comes their way. Additional training should be available to assist carers in building up their skills, and ready 24 hour support.

Carers usually decide what kind of fostering, duration and age that suits them best as part of the accreditation process, but always reserve the right to change their minds as they gain experience!

This may seem like a lot to consider, particularly if you are thinking of fostering but have not yet embarked on the journey. The training and accreditation process is invaluable in helping you work out what will fit best for your life style, skills and availability. Foster care workers attempt to match carers and children for the best fit between the child's needs and the carer's strengths and availability. However, never forget that you can say no, or ask for more information, or even change your mind about what suits you. Fostering is a dynamic, rich and multifaceted experience, and finding the right type of fostering for each carer household is essential for the best outcome for both the child and the carer.