Short-Term Versus Long-Term Foster Care

There are many different types of foster care arrangements. Some people prefer to provide short-term care, while others are in it for the long haul. Before they complete an application, adults who are considering fostering should determine which of these arrangements is more suitable. Making the right decision ensures the living situation will be pleasant for everyone.

Short-term care occurs when biological parents experience emergency or special needs. One example is when a parent loses custody during an improper care investigation but the expectation is that the child will return home within one week to several months. During short-term care, the child usually has regular contact with family members.

A short-term caregiving arrangement may also be entered when the biological parent has a medical emergency and has no one to care for the child. In the past, extended family often automatically took in children in these situations but things are not as socially stable today. The arrangement is now often handled as a formal type of kinship care.

In some cases, a child enters what is anticipated to be a short-term placement but certain events prohibit him or her from returning home. The situation then converts to long-term fostering. Some families opt for long-term foster care rather than adoption because they want to ensure support during the coming years. Older children sometimes come into the system stating that they do not want to be adopted, resulting in long-term fostering.

Though this long-term situation may seem similar to an adoption, there is really no security because Social Services does not consider it an ideal option. When the child reaches age 18, the foster care subsidy stops but the child may continue to live in the home. Kinship applications for long-term fostering have become more popular, where relatives want to care for the child but require financial assistance.

Source: http://www.hippshelp.com/short-term-versus-long-term-foster-care/

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