Could I try fostering before I choose to adopt?
Fostering and adoption are very different.
Fostering is very different to adopting. Foster carers take care of the child on a day-to-day basis, usually working with the fostering agency, other professionals and the child’s birth parents. The child will remain the legal responsibility of the local authority and/or their birth parents. There are many different types of fostering. Short-term foster care is still a very much-needed way to help children who require looking after on a temporary basis. It could be weeks, months, or longer before future plans are made in terms of these children either returning home, or being permanently cared for elsewhere, including permanent foster care or adoption.
Short-term foster carers play an important role in helping children in this situation to feel as secure as possible during a time of uncertainty, and to help prepare them for the future. Some foster carers go on to adopt the child or children they have cared for, if this is in the child’s best interests, although fostering should not be considered an easy route to adoption, because they each involve different types of preparation and assessment. Foster carers planning to adopt a child need to be reassessed and approved as adoptive parents. Currently, in England, just over 400 children a year or 14 per cent of all looked after children are adopted by their foster carers.
Permanent fostering usually involves fostering a child until they reach adulthood. It does not provide the same legal security as adoption, although it may be suitable for some children, particularly older children who may need regular contact with their birth families, or children with complex care needs.
Read more about fostering and the difference between adoption and fostering.
Last updated: 16 November 07
