Types of fostering

1. Task centred

When children first come into local authority care a foster carer who can provide 'task centred' fostering is sought. These arrangements are often made with little notice or in an emergency.

Assessments will be ongoing to decide on where is the best place for a child to live for the rest of their childhood. This can mean that children only need to stay with foster carers briefly until a family member is identified and assessed and they are able to return to a family member's home.

Sometimes these assessments and plans can take longer and we generally say the longest time a child might be with a foster carer on a task centred basis would be a maximum of two years.