Long-term fostering means giving children and young people who will not be returning to their birth families a safe, secure, caring, and loving home they can call their own to thrive in. It’s also called permanent fostering.
As a long-term foster carer, you’ll be empowering the young person to reach their full potential and help them gain the confidence to move into young adulthood which is seen as 18 years old.
Then the young person may – with agreement – stay with their foster carers under what is termed as ‘staying Put’ or they may move on to semi-independent living.
Long-term fostering and adoption are both crucial pathways to providing stable homes for children in need, but they differ in terms of legal arrangements and permanency.
Long-term fostering involves caring for a child for an extended period, often until adulthood, while maintaining their legal ties to their birth family. The goal is to create a sense of belonging and stability without severing these family connections.
Adoption is a legally binding process that permanently transfers parental rights from the birth family to the adoptive parents. It offers an irrevocable commitment, making the child a permanent member of the adoptive family.
While both options offer love and support, adoption signifies a complete legal and emotional integration into a new family, whereas long-term fostering focuses on stability within existing relationships.
Long-term fostering can bring great rewards, nurturing lasting relationships and providing stability that shapes a child’s future. The journey of a foster-carer is rich with personal growth, creating a meaningful impact that resonates for years to come.
If you feel you can provide support, stability and care to a child until adulthood, even if challenges arise, are able to adapt to their changing needs as they grow and develop, and are open to establishing a lasting connection with a child (potentially maintaining ties with their birth family), then long-term fostering may be right for you.
Footprints will support you every step of the way with personalised 24/7 support, excellent financial rewards and an unparalleled knowledge of local resources and services. Contact us to find out more.
Footprints Foster Care Ltd
Registered Company No 07879639
Longham Business Park
168 Ringwood Road
Ferndown
Dorset BH22 9BU
Please do not be anxious about contacting us
– we promise not to put you under any pressure. We are happy to answer your questions and we need to ask questions to make sure that you meet some basic criteria, such as do you have a spare bedroom and live in the right area?
Assuming that these basic criteria are met and you are happy to proceed, we will arrange to come and meet you at your home.
The home visit usually lasts 1-2 hours and gives both parties the chance to ask lots of questions. We find out more about you and you find out more about us and what we can offer. If everyone is happy to proceed you will be given an application form to complete.
If however, having found out more about fostering, you decide that you do not wish to proceed, then do not feel embarrassed to say so. We will also be honest and let you know if we do not feel it is in your interests to proceed.
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If you decide to proceed, you will complete an application form and go into the assessment process. This can take between 3–6 months and is undertaken by a qualified social worker.
It is a thorough process and one which helps people understand what has shaped their lives, prepares them for the challenge of fostering and determines their motivation to foster. As part of this process, we will also undertake statutory checks and personal references, including police checks, personal and employment references and medicals.
The social worker will also meet with your personal referees, members of your household and any adult children you have living away from home to ensure they fully support your intentions to foster.
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During the assessment period, you will have the opportunity to attend the Skills to Foster™ course that provides the foundation for future learning and development, as well as giving you the confidence to undertake your first placement.
You will also be required to complete a portfolio of evidence to support your assessment.
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After stage 3 has been completed, your assessment and portfolio will be presented to a Fostering Panel. The panel is made of experienced social work practitioners and independent members, who will have carefully considered the report in advance of the panel.
You and your assessor will both attend the fostering panel to enable panel members to meet you, address any points for clarification and hear any final questions you may have.
If the panel is satisfied the requirements regarding your suitability to foster are met, they will make a recommendation to approve you as a foster carer.
The ultimate decision to approve lies with the agency decision maker, who will carefully consider the recommendation made by the fostering panel.
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