Difference between adoption and fostering
Adoption differs from fostering in a number of ways.
What is adoption?
Adoption is a legal process by which all parental rights and responsibilities are permanently transferred to the adoptive parents by a court. The child legally becomes part of the adoptive family, as if they had been born into it, usually taking the family’s surname. Adoption has significant legal, emotional, psychological, and social consequences for the child, the adoptive parents, the birth parents and others.
What is fostering?
Fostering is a way of providing family life for someone else’s child in your own home, when they are unable to live in their birth family for a variety of reasons. Many of the children in care have experienced losses and disruptions in their lives to a greater or lesser extent. Some children may have been traumatised, neglected or abused. 
Unlike adoption, fostering involves shared caring, and the child remains the legal responsibility of the local authority and/or their birth parents. Most children in care return to their birth families. Where this is not possible, the local authority will look at alternatives, such as other relatives, or adoption or permanent fostering.
Types of foster care
There are many different types of foster care to meet the varying needs of children in care. Some foster carers may be involved in caring for a child for a few days, and for others for several years, until the child reaches adulthood.
Permanent (or long-term) fostering - The foster family cares for the child, usually until they reach adulthood. For some children, especially those over the age of seven who may have strong bonds with their birth family, or children with complex care needs or particular disabilities, permanent fostering may be a better option than adoption for providing stability.
Emergency foster care - Involves caring for children who need somewhere safe to stay immediately, usually for a few nights.
Short-term foster care - Involves the carers looking after the children for a few weeks or months, sometimes longer, while permanent plans are made for the child’s future.
Respite or short break care - Usually involves children living with their own family or foster carers, but having short stays with another foster family, to give their main carers a break. Disabled children with special needs or children with behavioural difficulties may benefit from this type of foster care. This is also known as family link or shared care.
Remand fostering - Involves caring for young people who are ‘remanded’ (England and Wales) by the court into the care of the local authority. In Scotland, young people may be placed in foster care as an alternative to secure accommodation.
Family and friends or kinship care - Children are cared for by people they already know.
Mother and baby or parent and child - Usually involves carers looking after a parent, often a mother, and her child or children to prepare them for the future.
Private fostering - Where the parents make an arrangement for the child to stay with someone who is not a close relative and has no parental responsibilities. If the child is under 16 (or under 18 if disabled) and is looked after for 28 days or more in the home of someone who is not a relative, this is defined as private fostering. Although this is a private arrangement there are special rules about how the child is looked after. The local authority must be told about the arrangements and make visits to check on the child's welfare.
In order to become an adoptive parent or foster carer, you need to be prepared, assessed and approved by an adoption or fostering agency. If you are unsure whether you would be more suited to adoption or permanent fostering, why not give your local agency a call for further discussion? Their teams are skilled at identifying potential carers’ strengths and limitations and areas for development, and will help you to decide on the best option, given your family circumstances.
For more information please see Fostering Network.
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Last updated: 19 December 07
