There are many different categories to describe the different types of foster care. These include:
- Emergency Foster Care
- Placements should not exceed beyond 28 days.
- Temporary Foster Care
- You may hear the words "temporary care" used instead of short or long term care because of the difficulty of putting a time on some placements.
- Short Term Foster Care
- Placements are from 28 days to 3 months/6 months
- Long term Foster Care
- Placements can be up to 2 years or longer. Some children may find themselves in foster care longer than this. Children can be placed back with their family even after very long periods in care.
- Community Care/Kinship Care
- Another term for community-based/family-based out of home care used by Private Agencies.
- Placement with Relatives
- If at all possible, the child is placed with relatives as the first option.
- Pre-adoptive Foster Care
- During the time that adoption is being arranged for a child, the child is placed in the pre-adoptive foster care program organised by the Department for Child Protection.