What kinds of care can I offer to children?

You can provide various different types of care, depending on your family circumstances, your skills and what kind of care you wish to provide.

Children and young people are referred to Barnardos by CYFS or through Barnardos Family Support services. The children referred to Barnardos by CYFS are being placed away from their families because there are concerns about their protection and care. These children need a safe place to stay immediately.

Placements for these children are for varying periods of time – from an emergency overnight placement with a family right through to a long term permanent care arrangement.


Emergency Placements
Emergency placements may be requested at any time of the day or night by CYFS. Barnardos has an after hours service to take these referrals. Placements in an emergency are usually for an overnight stay, until family can be found to take the child, or until another placement is found the next day.


Short, Medium & Long Term Placements
These placements are the norm for Barnardos, as we try to place the children who are referred to us. Times vary from weeks to many months.


Permanency (Full Care)
Barnardos is contracted by CYFS to find families for children to live in on a permanent basis. Under permanency arrangements, the plan is that foster carers will apply for Parenting Orders under the Care for Children Act, giving them day to day responsibility for caring for the children with some contact with the birth family. There are at least 12 children at any one time at varying stages of the long permanency process.

 

Further links:

• About fostering
• Can anyone become a foster carer?
• What does being a foster parent involve?
• How do I become a foster carer?
• What kinds of care can I offer to children?
• What about the children?
• Why foster with Barnardos?
  
• What training will I get?
• What financial support will I receive?
• I am very interested, what do I do now?
• A caregiver’s story