Long Term Foster Care

Once Children’s Services has been granted legal guardianship of a child who has previously been in foster care, it is then their responsibility to find alternative families for the child until they become an adult.

These children will either remain in foster care or they will be adopted. Unfortunately for some they will be unadoptable, whether it is due to age or behaviors. In these cases, Children’s Services will find long term foster care for the child.

Ideally the child will stay in the same home for the whole time, unfortunately many children get moved from one placement to another every few years or even months.

Another form of permanency for a foster child is a long term placement with a foster family because the biological parents are unable to look after their children due to a physical or physiological disability. During this time, the bio parents will continue to be very much a part of the child’s life.

Why would a foster child need long term foster care?

Children’s services works hard to assist parents to care for their children. Unfortunately, in some cases, the relationships between children and their parents are so damaged that the child has no chance of receiving the protection and love that they will need to grow up happy and safe.

These children have been without the close attachment of an adult which is vital to their healthy growth and development. They now need a adult who will give them commitment and who they will safely attach without fear of further loss.

These children will need to be adopted or placed in long term care for the duration of their childhood.

Some examples would be:

1. There are times when children come into care with the intention that they will only be in care for a short-term, but events make it impossible for them to return home.

2. Some families might decide to foster a child long-term instead of adopting them because they know that they will need a high-level of support for many years to come and they want to be sure to get access to it.

3. Sometimes when a child who comes into foster care is older they will remain quite adamant that they do not want to be adopted.

4. The biological parents are unable to look after their children due to a physical or physiological disability. The children are placed in foster care while continuing to have regular visits with their parents.

Other Types of Care That Foster Parents Provide:

Short Term Foster Care – this usually refers to days or months, it’s purpose is to enable Social Services to offer support and assessment to the child’s family before making their final decision whether a the child should be returned home or remain in long term care.

Respite Foster Care - could be for a few hours, overnight, several days or a week. This type of fostering gives families assistance in times of crisis, such as hospital admission, or to support other foster parents who may need a short break from fostering.

Mother and Baby – sometimes if a mother is very young (a teenager) or a mother who has special needs, will be placed with a family who will support and care for them while the mother learns the skills and responsibilities associated with parenting. The time that they stay in care will depend on the progress the mother makes in learning to care for her child.

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