Types of foster care

The types of foster care Barnardos Australia offers fall into the following broad categories. The descriptions below will help you understand which type of care may be most suited to your lifestyle and the amount of time you are able to commit.

Temporary care
Sometimes children need to be away from their families temporarily due to an emergency, illness, crisis or family breakdown. We need carers who can provide children with a stable home until the family crisis has been resolved or the courts make a decision on the child’s future. This may be for any period from a few days or for up to 12 months.
Permanent care/adoption
We need to find new families for children who have been removed from their birth families on a permanent basis. More than one third of the children in permanent care are adopted by their carers.
Adolescent care
We need carers who are able to provide a teenager with a stable home to see them through the uncertainties of adolescence. Our adolescent services are specifically for young people between the ages of 12 and 18 and we need carers who enjoy caring for young people.
Respite care
Our respite carers take a child into their home for one weekend every month, for a period of at least two years, to give the parents or foster carers a break and the child an opportunity to explore different activities and environments. This option can be ideal for people who want to help but have limited time to spend with a child.