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Short-term foster care

Providing a safe and loving home, even for a short time, can make a lifelong difference in a child’s life. Short-term foster care gives children a stable, nurturing environment while long-term decisions are made about their future. Whether for a few weeks or several months, your support can offer a child the security and care they need to thrive.

What is short-term foster care?

Short-term foster care provides children with a temporary home when they cannot live with their birth family. It is designed to offer stability and support while child protection services work towards family reunification, kinship care, or long-term care arrangements.

Children in short-term care may stay with a foster family for a few weeks or several months, depending on their individual circumstances. During this time, foster carers provide a loving and structured home, helping children feel safe, secure, and supported as they transition to their next stage in life.

Almost anyone is eligible to foster a child. Take our quiz to find out if you are eligible.

The goals of short-term foster care

The primary goal of short-term foster care is to provide children with safety and stability while their future is determined. By opening your home, you help children feel secure, supported, and valued during a time of uncertainty.

The aims of short-term foster care include:

  • Providing emotional and practical support: Helping children adjust to a new environment, offering guidance, care, and reassurance.
  • Facilitating reunification or transition: Supporting children as they prepare to return to their birth families, move to kinship care, or transition to long-term foster care.
  • Maintaining routines and education: Ensuring children have access to school, social activities, and support networks to help them feel a sense of normalcy.

Short-term foster care plays a vital role in giving children the chance to heal, grow, and move forward with confidence.

What’s the difference between short-term foster care and emergency care?

Short-term foster care and emergency care both provide temporary support, but they serve different purposes. Emergency foster care offers immediate placement for children who need urgent safety, often with little notice. These placements can last from a single night to a few weeks while child protection services assess the child’s needs.

Short-term foster care, on the other hand, is planned and provides children with a more stable home for a longer period. While still temporary, it allows for ongoing support, schooling, and connection to services while decisions about their long-term future are made.

How to become a short-term foster carer

Becoming a short-term foster carer is a rewarding journey, and we’re here to support you through every step. The process includes:

  1. Expression of interest: Submit your details to start your foster care journey.
  2. Training and assessment: Participate in training sessions to prepare for the role.
  3. Home assessment: Ensure your home is a safe, welcoming environment for a child.
  4. Approval and matching: Once approved, we work with you to find the right child for your family.

Support for short-term carers

Fostering a child is a significant commitment, but you won’t be doing it alone. Anglicare Southern Queensland provides comprehensive support, including:

  • 24/7 on-call assistance – Support when you need it, day or night
  • Dedicated caseworkers – Ongoing guidance and advice from experienced professionals
  • Training and development – Access to workshops, courses, and learning opportunities
  • Financial support – Carer allowances to help cover the costs of raising a child
  • Peer support networks – Connect with other foster carers for advice and encouragement.

We ensure you have everything you need to provide the best possible care for the child in your home.

Resources

Hear from short-term carers

Foster carers play a life-changing role in a child’s life. Read about the experiences of real foster carers and the incredible impact they’ve made.

Start your foster care journey today

Becoming a short-term foster carer is an opportunity to change a child’s life forever. If you’re ready to take the first step, express your interest here or contact us at 1300 610 610.

Frequently asked questions

What is short-term foster care?

Short-term carers look after children for anything from a few weeks up to two years, while other long term plans are being finalised.

Why choose Anglicare Southern Queensland?

Our person-centred approach means we work with you to find out how foster caring can fit with your lifestyle. We connect with you at every stage of your foster care journey, supporting and connecting you to training so you will have the skills you need to be a great carer. We also offer resources and access to wider community groups.

What is the role of the Foster Care Case Practitioner?

If you decide to take the foster care journey, a Foster Care Case Practitioner will be with you every step of the way. The role of a Case Practitioner is to recruit, train, assess, and support foster carers. 

Case Practitioners are also responsible for matching children with an appropriate foster family. Case Practitioners are part of a wider team who also provide intensive support to children and carers.

Who can be a foster carer?

Almost anyone who wants to make a difference in a child’s life can become a foster carer. 

To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to be at least 18 years of age. You also need to commit to home safety and personal background checks, as well as foster care training, so you have the skills you need to be a great carer.

Many people rule themselves out and think they can’t apply. It doesn’t matter if you are single, male or female, in a same sex partnership, have other children at home or no children at all. What matters is your passion to make a difference. 

What is Anglicare’s purpose?

  • We’ve been caring for Queenslanders for over 150 years
  • We connect with people at every stage of life and respond with compassion and humility
  • Our team is experienced, dedicated and equipped to help
  • We advocate to inform positive social change
  • Our vision is to create a more loving, just and inclusive society.

Contact Us

Submit this form or call us to learn more about foster care at Anglicare. Our team is available between 9am and 5pm weekdays on 1300 000 828

Foster & Kinship Care Enquiry

Got questions?

If you have questions about becoming a foster carer, please call us or download our comprehensive guide.