Long term foster care

If you are thinking of long term foster caring we would expect you to live in or close to Southwark, be able to give up work (or have a very flexible working life) and have no other children under five. You must also have a spare room and neither you nor your partner must be a smoker.

In addition to having love to offer a child you will need to be flexible and adaptable, very patient, be confident in dealing with a child's behaviour, have compassion for their past and be realistic and honest. We would expect you to make sure the child had a healthy diet, stimulating activities, regular school attendance and that you would support the child at school (by going to parents evenings etc). You must, therefore be in good health and be under 60 years of age.

The plan would be that these children remain with you till they are at least 18. Most children in long term fostering placements retain regular contact with their birth families.

It can take time to find the right child for you, so at some point during your assessment we will ask you if you would be prepared to look after children on a short-term basis while we look for the right match for you.

What do you get out of fostering?  See what some of our foster carers say:

"Turning a child's life around and helping them to see themselves in a positive way"

"Its hard to pick one memorable occasion as they are all memorable in some way"

"There is always someone you can call and someone is always there for you"

• Download brochure: Long term foster care information