Wednesday 28 January 2015

Fostering & Adoption - what are the differences

Both adoption and fostering are types of situations which can provide children in need with long-term care. However, there is a major difference between the two. When you choose to adopt a child, they legally become your responsibility and all rights are removed from the child's birth parents. When fostering a child, you may be providing them with long-term care, but this is typically only a temporary situation. The child legally remains the responsibility of their birth parents or the local authority. When deciding between adoption or fostering a child, it is important to know the differences between the two and which one would be the best option for your family.

About Adoption
Many individuals choose to adopt a child when they would like to permanently expand their family. It can take a long period of time to adopt a child, as there are many different steps to complete during the adoption process such as a home study, background screenings and more. When a child becomes available for adoption, the court will permanently transfer all parental rights and responsibilities to the new family, removing them from their birth parents. Adoption is truly life-changing, as this child becomes a full member of your family.

There are also two different types of adoption. This includes a closed adoption and an open adoption. In a closed adoption, the child will have no contact with their birth family. In an open adoption, contact may be possible through letters, photos and other agreed upon terms.

To learn more about the steps for adoption please read the following; https://www.gov.uk/child-adoption/overview


About Foster Care
When a child is unable to live with their birth parents or other relatives due to a number of different circumstances, they may be placed into foster care. When placed with a family, they will live with them for either a short period or long period of time, depending on when they are able to return to their birth parents. In some cases, if the child is unable to return to their birth parents, the foster parents may have the option to adopt them.

To learn more about the steps to becoming a foster parent please read the following; http://www.thefosteringteam.co.uk/fostering/

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