Long term foster placements

Tuesday 11 September 2018
Last updated: Monday 16 February 2026

Children need long term commitment from adults. Could this be the fostering career for you?

Usually, this type of care will result in the foster child remaining with the foster family until adulthood, with placements tailored specifically to the individual needs of the child and what the parents can offer. Five Rivers offer extensive therapeutic training to foster carers, and the examples of children benefiting from long-term placements carers specialising in therapeutic care are plentiful. It also means a family can be reassured that a child will stay with them for a long period.

A Dorchester couple with no children of their own, Tim and Emma Shelton become foster parents to a six-year-old boy who, as the third of four siblings, had come to live with them after a family breakdown. Five Rivers are in the process of offering a long-term therapeutic foster placement which means he will hopefully stay with them until he is 18.

This type of placement is also popular with foster families with biological children living at home.

 A career in foster care offers many benefits including competitive rates of pay and flexible working.