Choosing the Right Fit: Guide to the Different Types of Foster Care

Foster care, a difficult but needed service, provides temporary homes for children who – because of various reasons- can’t live with their biological families. There are thousands of children in the system but an insufficient amount of foster parents, and whilst the idea of providing a safe and loving home to children inspires many individuals to become foster parents, oftentimes they aren’t sure which type of foster care works best for them. 

In this guide we will show you what each type of foster care entails in the hopes of helping you make the right choice for you and your family. Let’s get started!

Traditional Foster Care

Traditional foster care is when foster parents open their homes to children who cannot live with their parents for an undetermined amount of time. These children don’t require a special medical or behavioral care and depending on the availability of the foster parents, they can come as a solo unit or as a sibling group. Foster parents engaging in traditional foster care must go through all the classic training and comply with the requirements, but they don’t need to take specialized training – like for children with disabilities – in order to be able to foster. 

Short-Term vs Long-Term

Placements in traditional foster care can be short-term, which ranges from a few weeks up to a year, and long-term, which is when care is needed for over a year. The goal of short-term placement is to provide temporary support while working to transition the child back home or to another permanent placement. This type of placement happens when a primary caregiver faces a temporary crisis like illness, loss of a house, or incarceration, and they can’t continue caring for their child in the immediate future. A child can also step into a short-term foster home due to allegations of abuse or neglect in his home or while they wait for a more permanent home to become available.

Foster parents of a child in a short-term placement provide consistency through a temporary period of uncertainty for the child. Some of they key aspects of their role may include: facilitating regular visits with siblings and parents, helping the child cope with separation and transition, transporting the child to appointments and services, and communicating with the case team frequently. 

On the other hand, long-term foster care requires foster parents that have a significant commitment. Children in long-term foster care may stay with the same family for many years, sometimes until they turn 18. This type of placement allows them to put down roots in a community and establish long-term relationships. Foster parents need to be able to provide daily care, supervision, and advocacy for the child over an extended time frame, and they need to understand they will serve as mentors, nurturers, and role models, helping guide the child through their formative years. 

Kinship Foster Care

Kinship foster care involves placing a child with extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or adult siblings. This type of care offers several potential benefits compared to foster care with strangers:

• The child remains within their family unit and maintains close relationships; this can provide comfort and familiarity during a disruptive time, minimizing trauma in the child.
• It’s often an easier transition because the child already knows the family members.
• The placement helps preserve the child’s cultural identity and connections.
• Family bonds stay intact as the relatives can more easily facilitate contact with parents and siblings.
• The caregivers are personally invested in the child’s well-being.

However, there are also important considerations with kinship care, such as that the relatives must meet licensing requirements and qualifications to be foster parents and that the family must have the capacity to take in the child. Kinship families will undergo ongoing supervision and will need support services just like other foster families.

Although families taking in a child is the most commonly known type of kinship care, there is also Non-Related Kinship Care. This is when a child is taken in by someone they have an emotional bond with, such as a neighbor, a teacher, or a family friend. The person should have a fostering license and needs to be someone who is familiar with the child and has the availability to take care of him for the time necessary. 

Therapeutic Foster Care

This type of foster care provides extra support for children with significant behavioral, emotional, or mental health needs. Children who require therapeutic care are placed with specially trained foster parents who can provide trauma-informed care in a structured setting.

Therapeutic foster parents receive intensive training on topics like child development, trauma, attachment, and behavior management. They learn how to provide a nurturing environment while also maintaining appropriate boundaries and structure. Foster parents that take in this type of care are supervised by licensed mental health professionals and oftentimes receive a higher stipend than regular foster parents to account for the demands of the role. 

The general goal of therapeutic foster care is to stabilize the child’s behaviors providing intensive intervention that will help improve their functioning. This type of care aims to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations or placements in residential treatment facilities. Children placed in therapeutic foster care receive consistent counseling and has the treatment team collaborating closely with the foster family. 

Emergency Foster Care

Next up, we have emergency foster care. Now, this type of care is designed for immediate, short-term placement of a child in critical need. Emergency foster care is used when a child’s safety is at risk in their current home environment, and they need to be removed from the situation quickly. The goal is to provide temporary shelter while authorities investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, or any other concerning issue. 

Usually, the emergency placement process happens suddenly, with a social worker showing up at the child’s home and bringing them directly to a foster family. Emergency placements give little notice, so foster parents should be prepared at all times. They are also placements that can last anywhere from one day to a few months, depending on the circumstances.

This sudden transition requires foster parents that can meet the child’s basic needs, maintaining as much stability, comfort, and normalcy as possible. It also requires parents that have adaptability skills to welcome sudden arrivals, in whatever state they come in. Ultimately, courts determine if the child can return home safely or if he will need an alternative long-term placement. 

Pre-Adoptive Foster Care

Pre-adoptive foster care, also known as foster-to-adopt, is when foster parents take in a child with the intention of adopting them if reunification with birth parents is not possible. Once parental rights are terminated, the pre-adoptive family can legally adopt the child, accomplishing the main goal of this type of placement. 

The adoption process may be slightly easier since the placement has already occurred, but pre-adoptive foster families must go through the typical home study and approval process. They must show they can provide a loving, stable environment and have the financial resources to support a child.

Pre-adoptive foster care allows children to experience stable family life while working through the legal process. Being part of the family before adoption can help minimize trauma and provide consistency. When adoption is the plan, pre-adoptive foster care can provide a smoother transition.

Specialized Foster Care

Lastly, we have specialized foster care. This type seeks to provide tailored care and services for children with specific needs. It is mostly focused on children who require more support due to medical conditions or disabilities. Specialized foster parents receive additional training and access to extra services in order to have the skills and knowledge necessary to care for the child properly. 

If a child suffers from chronic illnesses or complex medical needs that require close monitoring, treatment, and equipment, they will be placed in specialized foster care. The same is true for kids that have physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities like Autism, Down Syndrome, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, among others. 

Specialized foster care can be extremely wearying, as many of these children require round-the-clock care, so it’s suffice to say that this role isn’t for everyone. But if you feel called to join this community, you will find that fulfilling your calling to nurture these vulnerable children will fill your heart and change your life in ways you’d never imagine.

Questions To Ask Yourself

When you are deciding what type of foster care is right for you, you need to consider multiple aspects, like how this would affect your family and the different needs these children might have. Making the right choice and the best foster match requires honest conversations with yourself, your family, and the agency you are contacting. 

To make a decision, you might want to ask yourself the following questions: 

• Can we provide a safe, stable, nurturing environment for this child?
• Do we have the time, patience, and resources to care for this child?
• Are we equipped to handle any special medical, developmental, or behavioral needs?
• Will we be able to maintain the child’s cultural identity and connections?
• Can we transport the child to needed appointments and services?
• Are we willing to advocate for the child and work with a team of professionals?
• How will this change the family dynamics?

Considering the Types of Foster Care

There are several different types of foster care you can choose to participate in. Each type has its own goals, benefits, and challenges that prospective foster parents should consider, but at the end of the day, they all have a baby, child, or teen in desperate need to be loved. Finding the right fit for you and your family will be essential in providing the best care you are able to, so conduct more in-depth research, talk with professionals, and seek out experienced foster parents. And if this article was helpful to you, and you’d like to know more about our services, check out our foster care programs or give us call at 1-800-394-4939