Emergency fostering
Emergency foster carers open their homes at short notice — often within hours — giving children a safe place when they need it most.
Emergency foster carers are the people the system calls on when a child needs a safe place right now — sometimes at 2am, sometimes with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing. It is demanding, often intense, and genuinely life-changing for the children involved.
Emergency placements typically last days or weeks, until a planned short-term placement is arranged. Carers approved for emergency fostering usually hold this alongside other fostering approvals — it is a readiness, not a separate role.
What to expect
What emergency fostering involves
Short notice, limited information
Emergency placements happen fast. You may have very little background about the child initially — sometimes just an age and a first name. Your SSW will work to get you a comprehensive briefing as quickly as possible.
High emotional intensity
Children arriving in emergency placements are often distressed, frightened, or completely shut down. Patience, warmth, and a calm, consistent presence are what they need most — and what emergency carers provide.
Genuine availability at all hours
To be approved for emergency fostering, you need to be genuinely available to receive a child at any time of day or night, any day of the week. This is a real commitment, and it is taken seriously during assessment.
Your support
How Wholistic supports emergency carers
Immediate SSW contact
When you receive an emergency call, your SSW is contactable. Outside office hours, our out-of-hours team provides immediate back-up — you are not alone from the first moment a child arrives.
24/7 out-of-hours line
Emergency carers rely on this more than anyone. Our line is staffed by people with real fostering experience — every night, every weekend, every bank holiday. A real person answers.
Full placement information ASAP
We push hard to get comprehensive background information to you as quickly as possible, so you can understand what the child needs and provide truly informed, attuned care from the start.
Debrief and aftercare
After an emergency placement ends, your SSW makes time to debrief with you. The work emergency carers do deserves to be acknowledged and processed — not just moved on from.
Could you open your home in an emergency?
Emergency carers are among the most vital people in the fostering network. If you think you could be one of them, start with a conversation.