If you’re new to fostering, you might be trying to decide which type of fostering would be the best fit for you and your family. From short-term and emergency foster care to respite and sanctuary-seeking fostering, there are so many options to choose from.
That’s why we’re taking a closer look at each one to help you understand what they are, how long they last, and the unique benefits they bring to both you and the children in your care.
In this article, we’ll focus on long-term foster care, including what it means, how it differs from adoption, and the life-changing impact it can have on children and young people.
What does long-term foster care mean?
Before we take a look at the benefits of long-term foster care, let’s answer some of the most common questions about this type of fostering.
How long is long-term foster care?
If a child is unable to return to their birth family, but adoption is unsuitable for them, they’ll need a long-term foster home.
Long-term fostering lasts for two or more years, usually until a child turns 18. In some cases, a young person may stay beyond their 18th birthday through a Staying Put Agreement. This allows them to continue education or training and better prepares them for independence.
Long-term foster care vs adoption: what’s the difference?
Long-term fostering is similar to adoption in that you provide a child with a home until they reach adulthood. However, when a child is adopted, parental responsibility is legally transferred to the adoptive parents. As a result, they have authority over decisions about their child and become financially responsible for them.
When it comes to long-term fostering, birth parents and or the local authority hold parental responsibility. This means they have authority over certain decisions, such as taking a child on holiday and things like haircuts. As a long-term foster parent, you’ll also receive a fostering allowance to cover childcare expenses.
How does long-term foster care and contact work?
If it’s in the best interests of a child or young person in long-term foster care to see family members, such as siblings, this will continue through family time arrangements.
When you welcome a child home, you’ll receive details about family time arrangements, including frequency, location, who they’ll see and when they’ll take place.
These arrangements are regularly reviewed to ensure that, as your foster child grows, they’re still in their best interests.
How does long-term foster care pay work?
Regardless of which type of foster care you choose to provide, at Fosterplus, you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance, which is typically tax-free.
The amount you receive will differ depending on your location, the number of children in your care, the kind of fostering you offer, the children’s ages, and your experience.
On average, our long-term foster parents receive between £20,187 and £25,749 per child, per year. Use our fostering allowance calculator to find out how much you could receive.
The lifelong impact of long-term fostering
Now we’ve answered some of the most pressing questions about long-term foster care, let’s jump into the life-changing impact it can have on you, your family, and the children in your care.
Helping children feel settled
When children and young people move into care, they have to leave everything they’ve ever known behind. From their family and friends to their home and community, their whole life changes from one day to the next. And for some children, once in care, they may experience multiple moves, which means they never truly feel settled.
By offering a child a long-term home, you provide a safe and stable space for them to plant roots and begin their journey of healing, growth, and discovery. They’ll have a familiar routine, a bedroom to call their own, and a family who they can rely on to support them until they’re ready to support themselves.
Building a true sense of belonging
Many children in care can struggle to find a sense of belonging. But when you provide a long-term foster home, it gives them a chance to find that with you.
Living with you long-term means they’ll truly become part of your family. From holidays and special occasions to the monotony and stresses of daily life, you’ll give them the gift that so many of us take for granted – a home to call their own with a family who loves them.
Most of all, you’ll teach them that safe, trusting relationships really do exist by being by their side through the ups and downs of life.
Our award-winning foster parents, Christina and Roy, share their experience of fostering four siblings long-term:
“Fostering really is a family effort. I couldn’t do it without my support network, which includes my grown-up kids. My daughter was only 14 when we first started fostering, and even now, she’ll correct anyone who doesn’t consider our 4 kids to be her ‘real’ siblings.”
“Growing up in a foster home has not only given my daughter the amazing gift of more family, but it’s also given her the chance to learn lots about parenting and attachment, which will be a big help now that she’s got her own little one.” Read their full fostering story here.
Thriving at school
The experiences children and young people have been through when they enter care can have a knock-on effect on their academic achievement.
Trauma weaves its way into every aspect of a child’s life. From finding it difficult to retain information and focus in the classroom to struggling with emotional regulation and trusting others, it can be harder for children in care to thrive at school.
But when they have a long-term foster family advocating for their needs, ensuring they receive the right support, and helping them feel safe, stable and loved, they can begin to see school in a new light. Rather than being overwhelming and maybe even frightening, it could become a space to explore their interests, make friends, and build a beautiful future.
“The best thing about fostering a child long term is seeing their growth both emotionally and educationally. “
“We’ve gone from having a child who couldn’t function at school, wasn’t learning at all and couldn’t stay in class to a child who’s now a teenager and is doing really well in college. It makes you beam with pride. And knowing that, actually, without you, that might not have been his journey.” Jodie Elliot, a long-term foster parent at Fosterplus, read her fostering story here.
Preparing for life after care
When you foster a child long-term, at some point, they’ll become a teenager. Part of your role when fostering teenagers is to prepare them for independent living. And because you’ve provided them with a long-term home where they feel safe, part of the family, and have had the chance to thrive at school, they’ll have a strong foundation.
You can also go one step further by offering a Staying Put Agreement. These days, it’s quite rare for an 18-year-old to leave home. Even if they go to university, they can usually return to their family home during the holidays. This provides them with stability as they get to grips with adult responsibilities before becoming completely independent.
Staying Put Agreements give young people in long-term foster homes the chance to do the same. This reduces the risk of them becoming homeless, unemployed, or going to prison when they leave care, improving their overall outcomes.
“My foster family are my family, and the ‘Staying Put’ arrangement has given me the best of both worlds. Foster parents do amazing work in giving children a stable family environment and a safe and loving home. The team at Fosterplus have been a great support to our family. Even though the social workers and staff are there for the foster parents, they’re also very much part of your life as a child and make sure that you’re supported, too.” Erin, a Fosterplus care leaver, read her story here..
Healing from trauma
Providing children and young people with a long-term foster home won’t eradicate their trauma, but it can go a long way in helping them heal from their experiences.
You and your family will be a constant in their lives, holding their hand as they navigate this strange, scary, and uncertain world. Knowing you love and accept them for who they are and that you’re not going anywhere can help build their confidence, learn to trust humans again, and look to the future with hope.
Fosterplus long-term support
At Fosterplus, we don’t just find homes for the children in our care; we find them families who truly understand their needs and help them feel loved, valued, and heard.
Our careful and considered matching process promotes stability and reduces unplanned endings, helping foster children grow up in the secure and nurturing environment they deserve.
As a foster parent, you’ll receive 24/7 support, trauma-informed training, and become part of a community of dedicated fostering professionals, all here to help children and young people build secure attachments, develop a sense of belonging, and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Start your long-term fostering journey today
Ready to open your home to a vulnerable child or young person? Call us on 0800 369 8512 to learn more about fostering requirements, the assessment process, support, training and more. Alternatively, submit an online enquiry form and a member of the Fosterplus team will call you.
