Foster care provides temporary homes for children who are removed from their families due to abuse, neglect, or other unsafe home environments. Children may stay in foster care for days, months, or even years until they can either safely return home or be placed in a new permanent home through adoption.
However, before potential parents choose to become a specific type of foster parent, they should understand the difference between short-term and long-term fostering. Taking the time to analyze all that long-term fostering entails will allow them to make an informed decision that will benefit them and the children.
In this article, we will break down what it means to be involved in long-term foster care as a parent.
What is Short-Term Fostering?
Short-term fostering refers to temporarily caring for a child in need for a limited period of time. It is intended to provide a safe, nurturing environment for the child until a permanent placement can be arranged.
Children may be placed in short-term care for a variety of reasons, including the parents experiencing a crisis that prevents them from caring for the child or the child being removed from the home due to allegations of abuse or neglect. Sometimes, a child is placed in short-term care because they require specialized treatment or rehabilitation and their current caregivers can’t provide it, while other times, it’s because the child is waiting to be adopted.
The key defining trait of “short-term” placements is the expected outcome they intend on having over a limited time period, which is reunification with the biological family or a move to a permanent adoptive home.
What is Long-Term Fostering?
Long-term fostering refers to providing a stable family environment for children who are unable to live with their biological parents for an extended period of time. Unlike short-term care, which is meant to provide temporary shelter, long-term fostering aims to offer consistency and support until a child turns 18 or is able to be reunited with family.
Children are placed in long-term foster care for various reasons. Parental rights may be terminated due to abuse, neglect, incarceration, or other factors that make the birth family unable to care for the child properly. Children who enter the foster system at an older age, have special needs or are part of a sibling group are more likely to require long-term placements. The goal is to provide a nurturing home rather than moving between multiple foster families.
Although long-term fostering can share similarities with adoption, they maintain a fundamental difference in that birth parents’ rights are not permanently terminated. The foster family works closely with the child welfare system with the possibility of reunification even after many years. Adoptive parents, on the other hand, take over all legal responsibilities with no obligation to maintain relationships with the biological family.
Roles of a Long-Term Foster Parent
Being a long-term foster parent comes with significant responsibilities; here are some of the main roles:
- Providing a stable, nurturing home environment.
- Meeting the child’s basic physical and emotional needs.
- Advocating for the foster child’s best interests on different fronts.
- Helping the child maintain family connections.
- Collaborating with the child’s social worker and team of professionals.
- Providing transportation to school, appointments, visitations, and other activities.
- Making the child feel like part of the family.
Pros of Long-Term Fostering
Long-term fostering can be an incredibly rewarding experience for foster parents. Some of the main benefits and positive aspects of long-term fostering are:
- Forming a meaningful bond – With long-term placements, you have the chance to really get to know the child and form a deep, meaningful bond.
- Providing stability & routine – By keeping a child placed with you long-term, you are providing them with a stable, consistent home environment.
- Seeing positive change – Over an extended period of time, you may get to see the child progress, overcome challenges, and develop in positive ways.
- Shaping values & character – Your influence over months and years can truly help shape a child’s personality, values, and character in a profoundly positive way.
- Being an advocate – Long-term fostering allows you to be a powerful advocate for the child’s well-being and best interests over many years.
- Cultivating self-worth – By providing unconditional love and support over the long haul, you help build a child’s self-confidence and sense of self-worth.
- Creating lasting impact – The positive impact you have by fostering a child long-term can create ripple effects that last a lifetime.
Cons of Long-Term Fostering
While being a long-term foster parent can be incredibly rewarding, there are some challenges and difficulties that come with it.
- It can be emotionally taxing at times – Seeing kids enter your home from traumatic situations and trying to provide them stability and care can take an emotional toll. There will likely be behavioral issues, difficulties in school, and mental health needs.
- The full trauma history is often unknown – There is often a lack of information provided about the child’s background and needs, which can make it hard to care for them properly.
- Dealing with the biological parents can be stressful in some cases – There may be supervised visits required, which you need to facilitate.
- Fostering requires a big time commitment – There are court hearings, meetings with case workers, therapist appointments, etc. It can disrupt work schedules.
- Unexpected costs come up – Covering the financial costs of raising a foster child long-term can be difficult, even with support payments.
- Goodbyes can be difficult – Saying goodbye if a child returns home or is adopted can be heartbreaking if you get attached.
- The foster care system can be frustrating to deal with – There is a lot of paperwork and appointments required. Getting information and support can be challenging.
- Older foster kids may have deep-rooted issues – It takes a lot of patience and compassion to gain their trust after past trauma.
- Sibling separation – Siblings are often separated into different foster homes, which is difficult for the children.
- There may be a negative impact on your own kids – The foster child’s trauma behaviors may impact your own children in the home.
Is Long-Term Fostering Right for Me?
Long-term fostering means opening your heart and home to a child in need for an extended period of time, often years. When thinking about whether long-term fostering is right for your family, it’s important to reflect on the key responsibilities and considerations we’ve covered:
- Providing consistent care and nurturing for a child with often complex needs
- Working closely with social workers and the foster care system
- Dealing with potential behavioral challenges and trauma backgrounds
- Managing visits and relationships with biological parents
- Committing to support a child through their formative years
There are certainly challenges, but the rewards of giving a child in need a stable, loving home through their childhood are immense. Long-term foster parents have the chance to make an incredibly positive impact on a child’s life. Their care and consistency can help heal wounds and provide the foundation for future success and happiness.
Talking to Professionals
Making the decision to become a long-term foster parent is not one to take lightly. While we cover the key aspects of what long-term fostering entails, we strongly recommend that you speak with professionals to get a full picture.
Connect with your local foster care agency to learn specifics about long-term foster care in your state and what their current needs are. Ask questions about the process, required training, support provided, and challenges you may face. You can also consider reaching out to any long-term foster parent you might know to learn about their firsthand experience.
Discussing long-term fostering with professionals ensures you go into the process with realistic expectations, a full understanding of what is required, and the confidence that you are ready to provide stability and love to children who truly need it.
Making a Difference
Becoming a long-term foster parent allows you to make a profound difference in a child’s life. Children enter the foster care system, usually due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment and many of them are vulnerable and often carry emotional scars from their past experiences. As a long-term foster parent, you can provide things these children have probably lacked, like stability, security, and nurturing love.
You can be an agent of change by guiding them through trauma, supporting their growth, and teaching them what love and family mean. Your home can become a place of healing. While the positive influence may not be immediate, long-term foster parents have time to gain a child’s trust and see real change unfold. With patience and commitment, many foster children overcome early challenges to lead happy, healthy lives.
Conclusion
Long-term fostering provides a stable family environment for children who cannot live with their biological parents. As we’ve discussed, it differs from short-term care and adoption in that the goal is often reunification, and the placement can last for years. Being a long-term foster parent requires a major commitment, which is why the decision should not be made lightly.
If you are interested in becoming a long-term foster parent, you should talk to a licensed professional; they may be able to help you determine if it’s the right choice for you. While challenging, embracing a child as your own and guiding them through a difficult season can be incredibly meaningful. With an open heart and mind, long-term fostering may be your calling.
Leon Joseph Smith is the founder and CEO of Therapeutic Family Life, a child-placing and adoption agency with 30 years of experience. With licenses and certificates including LPC, LMFT, LCDC, BCIA, CCDS, and SOTP, Leon brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He has a strong background in counseling, having served children and adolescents with severe emotional and mental disabilities. Leon's focus has always been on providing a "win-win" situation for everyone involved, ensuring the emotional stability of foster children, the expertise of caregivers, and compliance with state regulations. His compassionate approach has been the cornerstone of Therapeutic Family Life's success.
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Leon Smith
