What are adoption and fostering?
Adoption is the term given for the permanent transfer of legal rights in relation to the parental responsibility of a child. Foster care describes the temporary acquisition of guardianship rights in relation to a child. Foster care is often used when a child is waiting to be adopted or the courts are considering an adoption order. As a legal condition, adoption is regulated by statutory provisions and administered through the courts in line with these principles. As a procedural matter, adoption is solely administered through adoption services and agencies approved by the secretary of state. Therefore, private adoption is prohibited in the UK. A court may grant an adoption order for a variety of reasons, such as the failure of the biological parents to fulfil their parental responsibility, but at all times the interests of the child are the paramount consideration, in line with the provisions of the Children Act 1989. The complex interaction of conflicting rights and interests in adopt
