Oftentimes, the bonds families develop with children in long-term foster care will last a lifetime, and children become members of the family in the truest sense. If you’re looking to have a lasting impact on a young person’s life, long-term fostering might be the perfect choice for you and your family.
Long-term fostering
Long-term fostering provides a stable family home to a child for many years. Quite often, the bonds last well into their later lives.
What is long-term fostering?
Long-term fostering provides a fantastic opportunity for a child to benefit from a stable family home until they reach adulthood.
A child’s care needs will be considered long-term if it is decided that they are unable to return to live with their birth family safely, or if other circumstances, such as a prolonged illness or death of a family member, make this impossible.
A long-term arrangement lasts for a minimum of 2 years. It's usually expected that a child will continue to live with you until they reach age 18. Some young people continue to live with their foster family beyond that age, which helps ease their transition into adulthood.
Long-term fostering pay
When you join us as a foster parent, you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance for the duration of the time that a child is in your care, designed to recognise your professionalism and commitment. Long-term fostering provides stability and a consistent income.
We also offer other financial benefits, including:
- Allowances for birthdays and religious festivals
- Two weeks of optional paid respite
- Free days out as a family
- Full access to our rewards platform where you can find hundreds of discounts to some of your favourite shops, restaurants and experiences.
Download our finance guide today
Discover everything you need to know about fostering allowances, tax relief, benefits and pensions by downloading our Guide to Fostering Finances.
The benefits of long-term fostering for children in care
Long-term fostering provides a child with a truly stable environment and a solid foundation on which they can build a bright, happy future.
Long-term foster parents have the rewarding opportunity to provide more than just a loving home; many children who come into foster care have experienced trauma due to abuse, neglect, or other adverse childhood experiences. As a foster parent, it’s your role to care for them and help them heal from the effects of trauma, which can impact all areas of a young person’s life including their relationships, self-esteem and mental health.
Having the stability and safety of a long-term foster parent can help children heal from their trauma in a safe and comforting environment. Though it may take time for children to learn to trust adults again, the work you do with your young person can be transformative in helping them become happy and confident.
The benefits of long-term fostering for your family
Here at Orange Grove, we take a family-first approach to everything we do, acknowledging just how important it is for every member of your family to have a positive fostering experience.
Long-term fostering is a great choice if you have children of your own and are looking to foster while providing a stable environment with minimal change.
You’ll also have the joy of watching your own children or grandchildren come to see the children in your care as siblings or close friends. Those bonds may well last a lifetime, and many foster families report living as a close-knit family unit even after a young person leaves home. Learn more about the impact that long-term fostering could have on your family.
Reece’s fostering story
Reece, 19, is the perfect example of just how life-changing long-term foster care can be. He's lived with his foster parents on their family farm in Yorkshire since he was 6-years-old.
“Kem and Eric have pretty much been my parents and have brought me up on the farm around the horses,” Reece said. “I couldn’t ask for anything else, to be honest. They have really been there for me. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me, and will continue to. I’ve never seen them give up on anyone; they’ve always helped, no matter the situation.”
Having now left care, Reece continues to embrace rural life on the farm and is truly a part of the family. Watch more of Reece’s story below and hear from Kem and Eric about their experiences of fostering long-term.
Role of long-term foster parents
Long-term fostering functions much the same as regular parenting. You'll be responsible for caring for a child around the clock while providing them with a loving and nurturing environment where they can grow and develop. However, as a foster parent, you won't have legal responsibility for the child; this will remain with their birth family or their local authority.
As a long-term foster parent, you’ll need the skills and qualities all foster parents need, together with a commitment to building and nurturing relationships over an extended period. Other key responsibilities include:
- Supporting a child’s education by getting them to school and working with teachers and educational specialists to support their development.
- Supporting children in day-to-day activities and teaching them life skills.
- Supporting children to spend time with their siblings, parents and extended family, according to their individual care plan.
- Enriching children’s lives with fun opportunities like getting involved in their local sports clubs or bringing your whole family along to one of our fun days!
- Keeping records of a child’s achievements and daily activities to help them understand their life story.
- Helping children to recover from their trauma and make sense of their experiences, promoting their well-being.
- Being a source of love, comfort, compassion and security.
Begin your journey towards long-term fostering
If you’re a compassionate and dedicated person with a drive to help change children’s lives, we encourage you to consider joining us today and becoming a long-term foster parent.
You’ll no doubt relish this rewarding opportunity to welcome a new member into your family and help a child move forward into their future with confidence and the support of a loving family unit.
Not sure if long-term fostering is quite the right fit for you and your family? Learn more about the various types of fostering.
Start your fostering journey here
Download our brochure and discover everything you need to know about fostering with Orange Grove.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between long-term fostering and adoption?
Long-term fostering is similar to adoption in that it provides long-term stability, except that legal responsibility for the child lies with the birth parents or local authority rather than with you as a foster parent.
This means that you’re not allowed to make certain decisions about a child’s life without getting permission from their local authority. For example, as a foster parent, you would need to seek permission to take your foster child on holiday as well as if you wanted to get their hair cut.
What's the difference between long-term foster care and short-term foster care?
In a long-term arrangement, a child will usually stay with you for 2+ years until they reach 18. In a short-term arrangement, the goal is usually to reunite the child with their birth family.
In short-term fostering, a child will typically stay with you for a period of up to around 2 years, though this may be extended depending on how the child’s circumstances change, and if you agree to care for the child for an extended period.
Can I adopt my foster child from a long-term placement?
The bonds formed during long-term foster care run deep, and some families wish to officially make the young person they’ve been caring for a part of their family. Some children in care will arrive on a ‘foster to adopt’ basis, meaning that a foster family cares for the child while the local authority works behind the scenes to find them the right adoptive parents.
If you as a foster parent decide while long-term fostering that you would love to adopt your young person, this may be possible depending on a range of factors. These will include a child’s age, their overall care plan and the agreement of their local authority. We encourage you to speak with your supervising social worker if you're interested in potentially adopting a child in your care.
Does my foster child have to move out when they turn 18?
If you and your young person both agree, they can continue to live at home with you even after they officially leave foster care at age 18. This is known as a 'Staying Put' arrangement and is a great way of ensuring that young care leavers have a successful transition into adult life. A staying put arrangement ends when a young person turns 21.
Can I offer more than one type of fostering at a time?
Yes, you can, provided you have enough space in your home. For example, you could have one child living with you in a long-term arrangement while also fostering siblings short-term, or offering part-time respite care to another foster family alongside your usual fostering. There are many different types of fostering designed to suit the needs of all kinds of children and families.
Other types of fostering
Short-term
Short-term fostering can range from a single night to a few years, depending on the child's and family's needs.
Siblings
There's a real shortage of individuals who can provide siblings with a loving home so they can stay together.
Teenagers
There are many teenagers in care who need unconditional love and support during this critical stage of their life.
Asylum-seeking children
There's an increasing number of children arriving in the UK in urgent need of foster care.
Please make sure you read our terms and conditions because you're agreeing to them by submitting an enquiry. It's also worth reading our privacy policy and cookies policy so you understand how we collect and use your personal data.
Ready to start your fostering journey?
By phone
One of our team is available to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your fostering queries.
Enquire online
You can get in touch by filling out our online enquiry form with any queries that you may have.
Your local office
We have local teams covering most of England. Find your local office today.