When children enter into care, this is done through placements. Placement types vary dependent on the needs of the child and vary in length of time from a few days to years. 

emergency placements

As the title suggests, these are placements that are made in an emergency where the local authority has determined that there is immediate cause for concern over the child's safety and wellbeing in their home environment. 
An emergency placement order allows the child to be placed in care briefly while the local authority determines a course of action (care plan) for the child. Emergency placements must be reviewed within 3 days but can be extended up to 12 weeks. 
Children in such placements often have little to no belongings so foster carers offering this type of care may need to have kits containing essentials for children they receive. These can include things like toiletries, clothes and toys. Due to the nature of such placements, there is often a need for a carer to be available full time. 

INTERIM PLACEMENTS​

These are placements that have lasted up to 24 months. Such placements are short term because during this time the agency may be working towards several options: 
  • rehabilitation with the biological family or other carers
  • permanence order with another carer(s)
  • permanence order or adoption with the current carer(s)
  • or it is part of a concurrency plan
Children in this form of placement often need help processing the transitions they have been through and will go through at the end of the placement. 

LONG TERM PLACEMENTS

These placements have lasted more than 24 months but are not secured by a permanence order because: 
  • an Adoption order is being sought
  • a Permanence Order with authority to adopt is being sought
  • a Permanence Order is being sought
  • the child's care plan indicates that the placement will be maintained into adulthood (18+ years of age) without a Permanence Order being sought
  • the child's care plan indicates that alternative placements are being sought (including with birth family)
  • the child's care plan gives no indication of the placement's objective or expected duration and therefore requires close scrutiny

permanence placements

As the name suggests, these types of placements offer both the child and carers significant stability. This allows them to form long lasting bonds and to develop a sense of belonging. 
If you're feeling overwhelmed or just struggling to understand all the different terms used to describe fostering and placements, don't worry. It takes a while to get used to it all and our team is here to guide you through it. We will discuss it extensively during the training or you can give us a quick call to chat about anything you need clarification on. 
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