What’s The Difference?
- What is fostering, and how does it differ from adoption?
- What are the pros and cons of both foster care and adoption?
- Do we offer foster care or adoption services at Changing Futures?
What Is Fostering, and How Does It Differ From Adoption?
The main difference between the two is who holds legal parental rights in each scenario: the birth family, the local authority, or the adoptive parents. Foster care provides a temporary, short- or long-term safe and happy environment for a child in need, but the local authority and the child’s birth parents maintain legal authority, not the foster carers. On the other hand, adoption creates a permanent family where you will become the child’s lifelong parent and assume legal parental rights. In this scenario, the legal ties to the child or young person’s biological family and biological parents will end, as they will become your legal responsibility, and you shall assume all legal rights to their care. Therefore, whilst adoption is a lifelong commitment, foster care is more circumstantial, involving long-term fostering placements as well as short, temporary care or even emergency placements that help to protect and support vulnerable children and young people. However, the sole aim of both is to provide a safe, loving home that allows the child or young person in your care the best possible chance to grow and prosper, making both fostering and adoption incredibly important.
What Are The Pros and Cons of Both Foster Care and Adoption?
Both foster care and adoption are incredibly rewarding, allowing you the chance to build a family, whether temporary or permanent, and provide a safe, loving home for children and young people who often haven’t had the best start in life. The key difference is that whilst foster care offers more ongoing professional support from the local authority and social workers, as well as a regular financial fostering allowance, adoption is a self-funded, lifelong commitment. However, some financial support and post-adoption support are offered to adoptive parents and adoptive families, but this usually stops after the final adoption order once the adoption process is complete. Both require a thorough assessment process, including background checks, to ensure child safety and foster or adoptive parent competence. The legal process for each does differ, however. Unfortunately for foster parents and foster families, saying goodbye when a foster child moves on or returns to their birth family is the main downside of fostering, as even in a short amount of time strong bonds and relationships can be built. On the other hand, adopted children are provided with a permanent home and become a permanent, legal member of your family with you as their legal guardians.
Considering whether you would prefer to provide a foster home or an adoptive home is an entirely personal decision that must be carefully thought through to ensure you are making the right choice for you, your family, and the potential child looking for a permanent home and a forever family. Considerations such as whether you would want full parental responsibility, whether you would require financial support, or whether providing long-term fostering may be the right choice for you are important. For some, foster care fits better with your lifestyle, with adoption being a more permanent, lifelong commitment. However, it is entirely dependent on circumstances and lifestyle differences.
Do We Offer Foster Care Or Adoption Services At Changing Futures?
Changing Futures is an independent fostering agency, not an adoption agency, that operates on a non-profit basis in the North East of England. Our mission is to provide ongoing support to empower and prepare foster parents for the challenges they may face, ensuring they can provide a safe, happy, loving home. We believe every child and young person deserves to feel heard, valued, and respected, and to have access to safety and calm. This is why we offer a wide range of foster placements to ensure everyone’s needs can be met. We also provide a welcoming, close-knit community and expert therapeutic training, where foster carers can connect, share their experiences and feel supported every step of the way.
At Changing Futures Fostering, we’re an agency that provides our foster parents with all the information and support they need to make a real difference in a vulnerable child’s life. If you need any more information about our fostering service, or about foster care in general, or if you have any other questions or queries, please click here to contact us, or send us an email at admin@changingfuturesne.co.uk to talk to our brilliant fostering team! Alternatively, feel free to call us on 01429 363 127.