Bridging fostering provides a therapeutic stepping stone between residential care and long-term fostering or permanence. These placements are usually short-to-medium term, with a strong focus on stability, emotional regulation, and relationship-building.
Children placed in bridging care may have experienced trauma, multiple placement moves, or may feel anxious about joining a family again. Your role as a bridging foster carer is to help them feel safe enough to hope — and trust — again.
Children living in residential care often haven’t had the experience of a consistent family environment. They may have learned to survive by being self-reliant or defensive, and while residential teams do incredible work, these settings can never fully replicate the emotional depth and safety of family life.
When done well, bridging placements:
For some children, this will be the first time they’ve been truly seen, heard and emotionally held within a family environment.
Bridging fostering is a core part of our therapeutic model at Wholistic. We treat the transition out of residential care not just as a move, but as a delicate psychological shift — one that needs thoughtful, trauma-aware support.
That’s why our approach includes:
Everything we do is built on trust, time and teamwork. Our aim is not to rush a child through change, but to help them feel in control of it.
As a bridging carer, your role is part mentor, part guide, part therapeutic anchor. You are helping a young person rehearse what it means to be safe, loved, and emotionally connected.
You will:
This is a skilled and sensitive role. You’ll be supported every step of the way.
Because this type of fostering asks more of you, we make sure you never have to do it alone.
Bridging carers at Wholistic receive:
Whether you’ve been fostering for years or are exploring your first steps into this space, we’ll make sure you feel confident and prepared.
For a child who’s only known institutional care, stepping into a family can feel both exciting and terrifying. But with the right support, bridging placements can be the turning point in their story.
You may be the first person to:
And even if their next step takes them elsewhere, the time they spend in your home can lay down the emotional foundation for a lifetime of connection.
If you have resilience, patience, a passion for healing, and a commitment to trauma-informed care, bridging fostering could be an incredible match for you.
We’re looking for carers who are:
Bridging fostering is more than a placement — it’s a partnership. A commitment to meet a child where they are and walk with them toward where they could be.
If you’re interested in finding out more about bridging fostering with Wholistic, we’d love to talk. It could be the beginning of something life-changing — for both you and the child.
👉 Contact us here to start the conversation.
