Knowing the different types of foster care for a child

EN - FR

Description

There are several types of foster care:

"Medium or long-term" foster care;
Short-term foster care ;
Emergency foster care.

One or the other of these placements will be chosen on the basis of the family's project and objective conditions.

For medium and long-term foster care, foster family members accept a commitment that can last several years, up to 18 years if necessary. During the entire fostering process, the foster care support department is attentive to supporting the relationship between the child and his/her parents. The commissioning authority chooses this type of care when other means of assistance have not been successful. The child is waiting for a family life that his or her parents will not be able to offer for a long time.

Short-term foster care is aimed at situations where short-term care is required (3 months, possibly renewable twice). In these cases, the parents and the young person must be helped for a few months. This period is used to take stock of the family's difficulties and to suggest ways of dealing with the aftercare. Foster family members are prepared for the specificities of short-term care.

In the event of a crisis, danger or emergency, an emergency foster care option can be organised very quickly and lasts from a few days to a maximum of 45 days. You must be prepared to welcome the child on the same day if necessary. The welcoming period allows parents and child to be placed at a distance in a time of acute family crisis: this time is used to prepare with the young person and his/her family, his/her return if possible, or another solution if this return cannot take place directly.