ways to foster

types of fostering

types of foster care

Foster homes are a place where young people can laugh, learn and be loved. Every child has their own unique needs, and every single foster family provides something different to meet those needs.

There are a variety of foster care options available to suit many different kinds of children in Bridgend. All our foster families do however have one thing in common: they all provide a secure, safe space to help children grow.

From an overnight stay or a weekend visit to longer-term placements, the type of foster care varies for every situation.

short-term foster care

Short-term foster care plays a vital role of settling and caring for the child while we find a more permanent solution.

Two brothers playing in the sand on the beach

Short-term foster care can be anything from an hours’ break, a regular weekend stay or a home for a year. It means being consistent and caring for a child at an early stage in their fostering journey, helping them adjust to a new family and a new future.

Family on the beach holding hands and laughing

Although it’s a shorter stay, it doesn’t mean the impact is small. Often it means being involved in something much brighter for the child, helping them to feel safe and build memories.

long-term foster care

Mum and three children smiling and posing for photo

Longer-term foster care is in place for children and young people who can’t live at home, offering them another home and family.

Family eating lunch at a bench in the park

A long-term foster care match always means working hard to place the right child with the right foster family, for as long as they’ll need. It’s the secure and loving environment they need for a longer period of time, providing stability with a foster family for life.

specialist kinds of foster care

Foster care is divided into either long-term or short-term care but within that, there are some more specialist types of care. Some even come with their own terms of approval. These can include:

A family making sandcastles on the beach

short breaks

Everyone needs their own space sometimes, and short breaks offer children a little space from their families.

Sometimes known as support care, short breaks can be anything from an overnight stay or a day at the weekend. They can be tailored to be a regular break or less frequent – sometimes even one-offs.

Short break foster care offers new experiences and opportunities to a child, giving them an extension of their own family and a different perspective.

Mum and girl sitting on the grass laughing

parent and child

With parent and child placements, you share your own parenting experience with someone who really needs that support. It’s all about helping parents build up the skills they need, both personally and for their child.

By having a parent and child placement, you’re helping to nurture the next generation so that they can do the same.

A boy holding a ball in his hands on the beach

therapeutic care

Children with more complex emotional or behavioural needs sometimes require a different kind of care, and that’s where therapeutic placements come in. Therapeutic carers and their children have an extra level of support available, so you’re never left unsupported.

Teenage boy outside

young refugees

Young refugees arrive in the UK alone or separated from their family during the journey – looking for safety and a fresh start. More than 100 of these young refugees arrive in Wales every year.

We are proud to live in an inclusive and diverse country that cares for all children and young people in Wales. We need families in Bridgend who can offer young refugees support, stability, and guidance while they rediscover their independence in a new country.

If you can support them, we can support you.

Whatever your background and home situation, if you have something to offer a young refugee or would like further information, talk to us here.

Family walking away from the camera on the beach

become a foster carer

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