What is the difference between permanent fostering and adoption?
Adoption is a legal process that transfers all the legal rights and responsibilities from the birth parents to the adoptive parents. Once an adoption has been granted it cannot be dissolved, unless the child is readopted by someone else. Although social work services will continue to offer post-adoption support after an adoption order has been granted, it is at the discretion of the adopters and the child whether or not they accept it. Fostering may be a short term way of offering a child a home until they can return to their own parents. However, some children cannot return home but still feel part of their own families and wish to continue to have contact with them. For these children adoption may not be appropriate. A permanent foster placement will therefore be sought with permanent foster carers. Permanent foster carers work in partnership with Social Work Services, who will continue to offer financial and emotional support to both the carers and the child. Although the day-to-day
