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.
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.
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.
Being a long-term foster parent comes with significant responsibilities; here are some of the main roles:
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:
While being a long-term foster parent can be incredibly rewarding, there are some challenges and difficulties that come with it.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.About This Author
Leon Smith
Like other industries, the foster care industry benefits greatly from donations. Regardless of the contribution…
When you answer the call to become an adoptive parent, you may be ready to…
If you typed “adoption subsidy Texas” into Google and landed here, the good news is…
Like most parents, do you often feel you're trying to fit 50 hours into a…
Did you know that there are more than 30,000 children in the Texas foster care…
If you’re looking to adopt in Texas, you’ve come to the right place because, in…