Long term fostering
There are many different types of fostering that you could go into, and one of the most popular options that potential foster carers go into is long term fostering.
What is long term fostering?
Long term fostering is where you foster a child on a long term basis. The child will be between 0–18 years of age, and you could foster them for a few years, or usually until they become independent.
It’s a brilliant way to really make an impact on a local child and help them to grow up and reach their potential. A happy and stable home means a child has the basics they need to reach their potential and contribute to their community.
What are the benefits to long term foster care?
Long term foster care allows the young person to feel like a member of a family, where they feel cared for and have a safe environment to learn, be encouraged, and grow up.
Building attachments to people is an essential part of growing up and is something that our foster children can struggle with, so being able to have a long term foster carer look out for them to encourage and support them is extremely beneficial to the young person.
What is the difference between long term fostering and adoption?
As a long term foster carer, you play the role of a parent in a young person’s life, but the local authority and the young person’s birth parents have responsibility for them.
Long term fostering plays an important role in society as adoption is used as a permanent solution for a young person when they can’t be brought up by their birth parents anymore, however with long term fostering, the birth parents could still be involved in the young person’s life.
How long is long term fostering?
Long term fostering allows a child or young person to live and grow with a caring family for a number of years if they can’t return to the care of their own family.
Long term fostering could last for years, and it’s usually until the young person reaches adulthood at the age of 18 and is ready for adult life.
How much do you get paid for long term fostering?
You do get paid for long term fostering, but the amount depends on the young person you’re looking after, the type of fostering you’re doing, and the skills you possess.
You can discover more about long term foster carers pay on our foster carers pay information page.
Can I become a long term foster carer?
Yes! There’s no ‘typical’ foster carer and all sorts of people become great foster carers.
Children of all ages and backgrounds need your help, and we accept people from all walks of life to become Foster for Staffordshire foster carers.
- You don’t need to have a big house but you do need to have a spare bedroom.
- You could be a parent, but you don’t have to be.
- There are no age barriers.
- You could be from any ethnic or religious background.
- You could be married, single, in a civil partnership or living in a settled relationship.
- You can be working or not working.
As long as you’re committed to helping a child to realise their potential, you could be what we are looking for and we would love to hear from you.
Ready to take the next step or looking for more information about long term fostering?
Enquire online now or call 0800 169 2061 today and we’ll help answer your questions about fostering and long term fostering.
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