Types of fostering
There are different ways to care for children and young people. Learn more about how you could provide a safe, and stable home.
Short term fostering
This is most people's idea of fostering. Children will come to stay with you for a few days or several months or sometimes longer. You’ll provide a safe and stable home to live while we try to reunite the child with their family or find a permanent family or foster home.
Long term fostering
Long-term fostering allows children and young people to stay in a fostering family where they can grow up in a safe and stable home. Children and young people can stay with their foster carers until they reach 18 and sometimes beyond this as a ‘Staying Put’ agreement. Long term foster carers help children and young people to maintain contact with their birth families too.
Connected person care
This is also known as kinship care and family and friend fostering. Becoming a connected foster carer means the local authority have arranged for a child who you know to come and live with you. This happens when the child’s parents are unable to look after them on a short or long term basis. You could be the child’s grandparents, uncles, brother or sister, neighbour or a close friend of the family. Find out more about connected person care.
New Horizon fostering scheme
New Horizon is a different kind of fostering scheme that aims to help Walsall children currently living in children’s homes. These homes might be miles away from their family and friends. We want to support children so they can stay in Walsall borough and be cared for by local foster carers. We are looking for people with the skills and experience to provide them with therapeutic, empathetic care.
Short breaks
The Short Breaks scheme enables young people with disabilities or complex needs to have regular short breaks with foster carers. If you feel you have relevant skills and experience and could offer this type of care then please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Find out more
Contact us using the buttons below to ask more questions, find out how to apply or to enquire about transferring to foster with Walsall.
