According to the AFCARS Report, there are more than 400,000 foster children in America. Studies show these children are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD as American war veterans, score lower on standardized tests compared to other children, and experience heightened levels of anxiety, distress, and feeling lost. During this stressful and confusing time, children need all the stability and support they can get.

In an ideal world, every child’s foster placement would be planned well in advance to cause the least amount of distress. This is not always possible due to various circumstances, and these children are often temporarily placed with emergency foster parents.

If you’re planning on becoming emergency foster parents, you need to be prepared for short notice foster placements. In this blog, we will be discussing short notice foster care, its importance, and how you can make children feel safe amidst all the confusion and changes they're experiencing.

What Is Short Notice Foster Care

Short notice or emergency foster care is a type of short-term care where children and adolescents are provided with a safe space to stay while they wait for the next phase of their case or find a permanent home.

Children and teens can come into foster care because of sudden loss, violent home lives, and other reasons. Due to the nature of this kind of care, emergency foster parents need to be ready to house new placements on short notice.

There is no denying the importance of short notice foster care. Whether it is providing vulnerable children and youth with a place to sleep for the night or offering them a home for a few weeks, emergency foster parents have the crucial task of providing these children with a sense of stability and preparing them for the changes they’re about to face.

Importance of Short Notice Foster Care

Short notice foster placements are a temporary solution to help children and teens who are at immediate risk of harm or need a temporary place to stay. Some of the reasons for emergency foster placements include:

●      A violent situation at home

●      An unforeseen fire or accident at home

●      Parents with health problems or an addiction

●      The child’s parents passed away suddenly

Short notice foster care is designed to remove children from these stressful situations and provide them with a stable emergency foster family.

A family-like setting can help children adapt to the changes faster. This is why Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) attempts to keep siblings together during emergency placements. Being able to stay close to their siblings can be a source of positive support for children who have been removed from their home. Studies have shown that placing siblings together in the same foster home can lead to higher rates of reunification, adoption, and guardianship. So, there is an increasing need for more emergency foster parents willing to take in siblings.

Types of Short-Term Foster Placements

If you’re considering becoming an emergency foster parent, you need to know about the different types of short-term foster care available.

Emergency

As mentioned in previous sections, children are sometimes removed from their birth families for various reasons. In these cases, they require a safe space to spend a night or a couple of days until their social worker finds a more long-term solution.

Specialist Care

There are times when children in emergency care may have additional needs. This could range from children and young adults who’ve suffered trauma and abuse, babies suffering from substance abuse or young people with disabilities that require extra care. Specialist caretakers are given additional training and support.

Temporary

There are times when an emergency placement can last longer than a few days, especially if a child moved to your home on a Friday night. They might have to stay over the weekend or longer until the social worker-in-charge finds an appropriate long-term home for the child.

Respite

As a respite caretaker, you will take in children for a short period whenever you are available. It can be for a few hours to a few weekends every month.

Respite foster care allows other foster parents to take a break and avoid burnout, feelings of frustration, and guilt. This results in a healthier, happier, and more positive experience for everyone involved, including the child.

In addition to providing additional support to long-term foster families, respite care is an excellent way for those considering fostering to test the waters.

Short-term foster care is an effective way to positively impact the lives of children. If you decide to become a foster parent, you can talk to your agency and decide on the best way to help children looking for a temporary home.

How Emergency Foster Parents Can Make Kids Feel at Home

Proving short notice foster care can be challenging but also rewarding.

Emergency placements happen under short notice. Sometimes, children are brought to your home hours after they’ve been removed from their family. These children have also probably experienced loss and are in a fragile state. As an emergency foster care provider, it is your responsibility to make them feel welcome and provide them with a stable and loving home during their time of duress.

Answer Your Phone

Being a good short notice foster parent means answering your phone. Children can need emergency foster care at any time, even during weekends. So, you need to answer phone calls from your foster care agency.

The responsibilities that come with fostering don’t have time constraints. You need to be available 24 hours a day and help the children feel wanted and loved while under your care.

Keep a Spare Bedroom Ready

Finding a space ready and waiting just for them will make foster children feel more welcome in your home. A room with gender-neutral, age-appropriate decor will make children of any gender and age feel comfortable. It is also best to offer new foster children the opportunity to add a small personal touch to their beds to make them feel more at home.

Always Have Supplies Ready

You can get a call for emergency placement at any time of the day or night. Also, the chances of your foster child arriving without any necessities are high. So, keep extra bedding, toothbrush, toiletries, clothes, and other essentials ready at all times. Additionally, don’t forget to stock up on food, especially if you are open to fostering siblings.

Establish Rules & Routine

Remember, every family is different. Your foster children may not be used to your family routine and habits. Explain to the kids how things work around your house and set rules for them. You can even assign chores to them based on their age. This is very effective at establishing normalcy, especially if they stay for longer than a week.

Be Flexible

While establishing firm rules is important, you also need to have honest communications with the children and find out what they are used to. Talk to them directly. This will allow you to connect with them and reach a compromise.

Communicate with the Agency

Things can move very fast during an emergency foster care placement. Keep the necessary forms and documentation ready to ensure the process is as smooth and painless as possible.

It is also advisable to let the foster agency know in advance if you will be out of town or otherwise unavailable. It can help avoid unnecessary delays and allow social workers to get the child to safety faster.

How to Become an Emergency Foster Parent in Tennessee

There are currently over 7000 children in Tennessee’s foster care system but only 4000 foster families. If you want to become a foster parent and provide a child in need with a loving home, you will need to complete a home study process which TNKeys training, background checks, and home visits. To learn more, visit our website.

Short notice foster care can be complicated, but a rewarding experience. At Camelot Care Center, we equip parents with the training and resources they need to handle every challenge that will come their way to ensure the child can have a safe and loving home. If you need help navigating the healthcare needs of your foster child, we encourage you to contact us today!