Often, certain situations may arise in which a child needs immediate care and protection in these situations, emergency foster care will be required to provide a secure environment for the child.
Situations can arise quickly where a child needs immediate protection and care, and they could arise for a number of reasons. That’s why, as an emergency foster carer, it’s important that you can be flexible and responsive. You’d also need to have the expertly trained fostering knowledge and skills to be able to handle a situation effectively, such as being able to quickly adapt to emergency circumstances at any time of the day or night. So, what is emergency foster care, and how do these placements differ to other placements?
Emergency fostering refers to a type a fostering placement where carers respond urgently to situations where a child or young person needs to be immediately fostered. This call could arrive in the middle of the night, meaning emergency foster parents will need to be prepared to accept children at the drop of a hat.
Reasons for an emergency fostering placement to occur include if the child is in danger due to:
As well as other unanticipated situations which could occur. Emergency foster placements are so important as they provide a child or children with a safe, secure environment during their time of need.
Often, there may be other siblings that are also affected by this unanticipated event, meaning they may need to be fostered in a sibling group. These children may have experienced something traumatic or frightening and will need special support. It’s important that emergency foster carers are well-trained and equipped to handle this sort of placement arising with little to no notice – which is where Excel Fostering’s fostering training and support steps in.
Some carers prefer being on stand-by for emergency fostering placements, as it is their speciality. However, it’s likely to be that the fostering family who are geographically closest is the best choice for the emergency placement. With the placement being allocated the closest foster family to the child’s family, this will allow for as little disruption to their home and school life as possible.
It’s not always clear to tell how long emergency foster placements will last – as the local authority will carry out on assessment on the child’s birth parents and the home environment. Although emergancy foster care is usually short term foster care, in some cases, emergency fostering can also transform into long term foster care for the child.
If the child’s birth parents are unable to take care of the child due to an accident, illness or death, it will be a case of locating family members who can look after the child or children, which may take a few weeks.
If you’re interested in becoming an emergency foster carer, or learning more about what to expect on emergency foster placements, get in touch with a member of our friendly team here at Excel Fostering today. Learn more about how to apply to become a foster parent now.
If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Excel Fostering, fill out the form below.
An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
