Long term fostering

Sometimes referred to as permanent foster care, long term fostering occurs when a young person or child cannot return to their birth parents and family and in circumstances where adoption is not an option.

What is long term fostering?

In simple terms, long-term fostering involves foster parents supplying children and young people with a stable and safe home until they reach adulthood (age of 18) because they are not able to live with their birth families.

What are the benefits of long-term foster care?

There are multiple advantages to long-term fostering. For the young person or child, being raised by one committed carer, usually over several years, provides them with consistency and a far greater sense of belonging, stability and permanency within a family unit. This firm foundation then enables the child or young person to build healthy attachments and relationships, both in their groups of friends and with members of their foster family.

As they get settled into a permanent routine, long-term foster children also enjoy educational benefits as they get more time to settle in a school without the unwanted interruption of being transferred in between different foster homes.

How long is long term fostering?

The duration of long-term fostering typically extends until a young person or child reaches adulthood.

What is the different between long-term fostering and adoption?

There is a clear difference between long-term foster care and adopting a child. While adoption involves adoptive parents taking legal responsibility, in foster care, foster parents never have this onus. Instead, legal responsibility remains with the local authority.

How much do you get paid for long term fostering?

How much you earn as a long-term foster carer will vary depending on factors like how many children you care for, the age of children, their needs and your level of experience.

Are you interested in being a long-term foster carer?

Providing long term foster care is an exceptionally rewarding role for foster families as it allows them to have a longer lasting positive impact on a child or young person’s life, helping them to grow and flourish. At Beacon Fostering, we are one of the top independent fostering agencies in the northwest of England. We are committed to the carers who work with us and the children they are charged with looking after, and supply around-the-clock support. Reach out to us today to learn more.