Permanence and adoption
Long term fostering is a statutory option for permanence where the foster carer enters an agreement with the local authority to look after the child until they cease to be looked after.
Where long-term fostering is the child’s permanence plan, social workers should follow the Placements in Foster Care policy and the Long-term fostering procedures which cover the procedures for identifying suitable carers and gaining authorisation for the match. The policy also sets out how the monitoring of long term fostering arrangements via visits and reviews can be relaxed as foster carers take on more autonomy.