Overview: Introducing short-term fostering, how long a short-term foster placement is and the importance of short-term fostering. Plus, answering the question: How much do you get paid for temporary fostering? And a look at fostering statistics for the North East.
Demand for short-term fostering is rising across the UK and here in the North East. We want to find more short-term fostering families who can take on this critical role. Could you provide a safe and loving home for a local child when they need it most?
Why is short-term fostering important for North East families?
Short-term foster care, also known as non-permanent fostering, is the most common type of foster care in the UK and the North East. Short-term foster parents play a vital role in our region by looking after children and young people when they cannot safely live at home. All sorts of circumstances lead to children needing short-term foster care. Sometimes parents become suddenly unwell and are temporarily unable to look after their children. Children from homes with evidence of neglect or abuse need somewhere safe to stay while assessments are carried out. When parents struggle with alcohol or substance misuse, foster carers provide a stable home. In the meantime, parents can seek support.
As a short-term foster parent, you will provide security during times of uncertainty and change for the children in your care. You’ll help them do everyday things like making sure they go to school, participate in activities and see friends. Short-term foster carers are also more likely to play a role in helping children to maintain contact with their families. It’s much easier for children to keep up with activities and stay in touch with the important people in their lives when they stay local. With more children needing short-term foster care in the North East, we need extra foster carers to take on this role.
How long is a short-term foster placement?
The length of time a foster child must stay with you will vary depending on their circumstances. We always aim to return the child or young person to their birth parents. So, your foster child will live with you full time while staff work towards this goal with their family. A child might need to stay with you for just a few days or several months. Sometimes longer is needed to allow social services to assess their family circumstances. When a child isn’t able to safely return home, you might look after them while longer-term plans are put in place. Those plans might include permanent foster care or adoption. When the time comes for your foster child to move on, you will provide reassurance and prepare them for their next steps.
How much do you get paid for temporary fostering?
We want to financially support foster carers so that you can focus on providing the best possible care. If you choose to foster with the Fostering Company community as a short-term foster carer, you can expect to receive upwards of £392 each week. If a child stays with you for less than a week, this amount will be pro rata. Foster carers are self-employed and, as such, manage their tax. But in most cases, this allowance is tax-free. For more information about pay and allowances, visit our payment and benefits page, or speak with our carer enquiries team.
Short-term fostering in the North East
The Fostering Company has been providing family-based care for children and young people in the North East of England since 2013. So, we’re very experienced in supporting short-term foster carers. Our local knowledge and experience informs the training we provide for foster carers. So you can better understand foster children’s life experiences and have the tools to support them.
Fostering statistics North East
Some of the region’s foster carers have retired or are looking to do so in the next few years. At the same time, the number of children needing temporary foster care is increasing. We’d love to welcome more foster carers into our team to meet their needs.
North East fostering statistics show the support we offer for short-term fostering in the North East:
- Since 2013, we’ve worked with over 32 foster carer families in the North East.
- We carefully match foster parents and children and are on hand to support you throughout your fostering journey – our stability rate is over 95%.
- Fostering Company experts deliver FREE specialist ongoing fostering training in the North East. We plan our annual training programme with our foster carers to make sure they have the skills they need across a range of specialist and therapeutic training courses.
- We have a calendar of activities available to all our foster families, no matter how long the child or young person is with them.
Short-term fostering in the North East, can you help?
If you think you could help families and children in the North East by becoming a short-term foster carer, you can learn about the fostering process on our website. You can also explore other types of fostering or get in touch to arrange a chat. Our friendly team can answer questions in more detail and tell you about the qualities we’re looking for in foster carers.