If you’re interested in welcoming a child into your home, you’re likely weighing up the pros and cons between foster care and adoption.
In this guide we’ll cover the basics of both fostering and adoption to help you choose which path is right for you and your family.
What is the difference between fostering and adoption?
Adoption in the UK
When you adopt a child, they become part of your family in every way, including in the eyes of the law. As an adoptive parent you will have all the same rights as a biological parent. Most children who are adopted are over the age of 3, with very few babies available for adoption. Adoption looks very different now than it did in the past; most UK adoptions are now ‘open,’ meaning that the child will grow up knowing that they are adopted and having some form of contact with their biological family, whether that be face-to-face or via a letter writing service. This openness around adoption leads to better outcomes for adopted children.
Adoption is an incredible way to change not only the life of the child you’ll welcome into your family, but also your own life. You can choose to adopt via your local authority or through a charitable adoption agency. Unlike foster parents, adoptive parents do not receive an allowance for their adopted child, though adoptive parents may still be entitled to limited support including ASGSF, a government fund which supports adopted children in accessing therapy services.
Fostering in the UK
Fostering is very different from adoption. A foster parent is a trained professional who welcomes a child into their home and family life, and many people see fostering as an incredibly rewarding career where they get to make a difference every day. The ultimate goal of fostering in most cases is to reunite the child with their family once circumstances at home are safe, while providing them with love, care, safety and therapeutic support in the meantime.
There are many different types of fostering, and you’ll be able to choose which styles best suit your availability and needs. The length of time a child stays with their foster family can range from a few days up until the young person reaches young adulthood and feels ready to move into independence. Foster parents receive an allowance for their hard work and to cover the needs of the child they care for, along with a huge range of ongoing support.
Adopting a child in the UK
What is the UK adoption process like?
To adopt a child in the UK, you must:
- Have lived in the UK for more than one year
- Have a fixed UK address
- Be over the age of 21
The process of being approved to adopt typically takes 6 months. As with fostering, you will complete a range of training and undergo background checks before being approved to adopt by a panel. Once approved as an adopter, you’ll begin the process of finding your child with your adoption agency. You will most likely get to know the child through their foster family, through visits and sleepovers before they officially move in with you. After 10 weeks living together at home, you will be able to apply via the courts to adopt the child. Once the legal process is complete, you will officially be a family!
Fostering for adoption
One option available to those who become approved as adopters is fostering for adoption. This is where an approved adopter temporarily becomes a foster parent for a child who is likely to be placed for adoption, with the aim to eventually adopt them. This type of placement has great outcomes for children, as it limits the amount of homes and families they move between before finding their family. Fostering for adoption can also help a child to bond more easily with their adoptive parents.
While fostering for adoption is a great option, adoptive parents who choose this path need to be aware that a foster to adopt placement may not always result in an adoption. Though it can be very painful to say goodbye to a child you were hoping to adopt, the decision to send a child home to their biological family will only ever be made in the child’s best interests.
Pros of adoption
- A lifelong commitment to transforming the life of a child
- See your family grow
- You’ll have full parental rights
- Access to therapeutic services
Cons of adoption
- Limited financial support
- Often costs associated with the application process
- Typically a longer process than fostering
- No access to the ongoing, local support offered by fostering agencies
Fostering a child
What is the UK fostering process like?
To foster a child in the UK, you must:
- be over the age of 21
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Have a spare bedroom which will be suitable for a child
You’ll begin your fostering journey by making an enquiry over the phone with a member of our friendly recruitment team. After that, you’ll have a home visit where we’ll tell you more about fostering and answer any questions you have.
If you choose to proceed, you’ll then move onto your fostering assessment, where a social worker will visit your home to learn more about you, and you’ll take part in our initial training. After that, your application to foster will be shared with a panel who will approve you to foster. Our referrals team will then begin working behind the scenes to match you with your first child or young person. The process of becoming approved to foster typically takes between 4-6 months.
What legal rights do foster parents have in the UK?
Unlike with adoptive parents, there are limitations on the decisions foster parents can make for the children they care for. Some of these may at first seem strange, like needing permission from your child’s social worker to allow them to try out a new hairstyle at the salon, get their ears pierced or go on holiday with your family. There are also restrictions in place to protect their privacy and identity, such as not sharing their picture on social media.
However, you needn’t worry that these restrictions will impact the quality of life of the child in your care; you don’t need to get permission for every little decision thanks to delegated authority, meaning that you’ll be trusted to make reasonable and sensible decisions about the everyday care of the child.
As a foster parent, you won’t be able to make big decisions in your young person’s life, such as changing their school or deciding whether or not they should visit their biological family. It will be your responsibility to follow your child’s personalised care plan, a carefully considered document put together by professionals which outlines their best interests. While fostering you will be part of a team who all work together to care for and help make decisions for a child, including social workers, the local authority, education advisors and therapists.
Pros of fostering
- The chance to change the lives of many children
- Huge amount of support from a local team, with social events and support groups
- Excellent financial support for you and the child you care for
- Ongoing training opportunities to boost your skillset
- Make a career out of doing what you love
- Part of a community; forming lifelong friendships with other foster parents
Cons of fostering
- Limited decision-making capabilities
- A great deal of flexibility is required to meet children’s needs
- Requirement to complete daily paperwork, such as written logs
- It can be very hard to say goodbye when children move on—we provide training and support to help you through this emotional process
What support is available for foster parents?
There are lots of benefits to choosing fostering. When you foster, you’ll be able to choose whether to join your local authority or foster with an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA), such as Orange Grove. IFA’s tend to offer tons of additional benefits, including a higher rate of fostering allowance and a great deal of holistic support, which here at Orange Grove includes:
- A generous weekly fostering allowance
- Ongoing training opportunities
- Support groups and access to a local team
- Our 24/7 helpline
- Access to education and therapy services
- Fun family days out
- 2 weeks of paid respite per year
- Access to our exclusive discounts scheme
Is fostering right for you?
The question of whether you should foster or adopt will depend entirely upon your family’s individual circumstances. If fostering sounds like it could be the right fit for you, enquire with us today to learn more, or download our free beginners guide to fostering. The journey of a lifetime awaits you!