Long-term foster care

• Long-term foster care is a care plan where a child is placed with a registered foster parent for a long period of time, usually several years.
• It is beneficial to the child as it provides them with stability, a sense of belonging and the chance to settle down and grow!
• Although it may seem similar, it is important to remember that long-term foster care is different to adoption.

Family Fostering Partners know that all children and young people deserve a stable home – long-term fostering offers this as a viable option for children to have a secure and permanent home. Even though a child may not be able to live with their parents, they may not want to be adopted or it may not be possible to do so. In these cases, long-term fostering is the answer.

Long-term fostering means that a child or young person can remain under the care of a committed foster parent, often for several years or until they reach adulthood. This provides them with a stable place to grow and develop. It helps them to feel a sense of consistency and gain a sense of belonging within a family. Being settled in one place also allows that child to make friends, develop a sense of community and form positive relationships.

The permanent one-to-one support that a long-term foster carer can provide to a child is much more beneficial compared to being moved around and gives them a chance to truly thrive.

What is the difference between fostering and adoption?

Although long term fostering can seem very similar to adoption, it is important to remember that they are different.

• A child under your care on a long-term foster placement will still remain the legal responsibility of the local authority. Whereas when a child is adopted, legal responsibilities are transferred to the adoptive parents.
• When you foster a child, you receive an allowance for their care. When you adopt a child, you are legally that child’s adoptive parents and will not receive payments for their care.
• When fostering, contact is usually maintained with the birth family, if feasible. When adopting, there tends to be less or no contact involved with birth parents.

Could you be a long-term foster parent?

Providing a young person with a permanent home is a big decision, but the rewards are huge, and we will be there to help you every step of the way. There are also many challenges involved with long-term foster care such as helping a child develop, learn and become independent. Family Fostering Partners provide ongoing training and support for foster carers to ensure that placements are successful and happy for the child and the foster parent!

Benefits of long-term foster care

Family Fostering Partners ensure that all carers are well-matched with foster children. When matching you with a child, your Supervising Social Worker will take into account your skills, preference and personality. We endeavour to ensure all placements are a good match and that carers are happy. This means many of our placements are successful and carers report a whole host of amazing benefits to long-term foster care, including:

• The ability to develop a strong relationship with their foster child.
• A happy and safe home for everyone.
• More authority to make day-to-day decisions as they are the child’s primary carer.
• The chance to make significant progress with a child’s behaviour and education.

If you think that fostering could be for you, please get in touch with us to find out more by filling out the contact form below or giving us a call on 03300 948816.