Understanding the Difference Between Fostering and Adoption

Understanding the Difference Between Fostering and Adoption

As a fostering agency, we often get asked about the differences between becoming a foster carer and becoming an adoptive parent. Both fostering and adoption play essential roles in providing children and young people with safe and loving homes, but they are distinct processes with different implications for both the child and the carer. Understanding the key differences between fostering and adopting can help prospective foster carers and adoptive parents make informed choices about what to do.

What is Fostering?

Fostering is a temporary arrangement where a child is placed in a foster home whilst they are unable to live with their birth family. The role and responsibility of a foster carer is to provide a nurturing environment for the children and young people who come into their care. The primary aim of fostering is to support children until a more permanent solution is found. Fostering placements can last anywhere from a couple of hours to several years.

What is Adoption?

Adoption is a permanent solution for children who cannot return to their birth families. When a child is adopted, their legal relationship with their birth family is severed, and they become a permanent member of the adoptive family. Adoption provides stability and security, as the child is given a new family to grow up with, often with the intention of maintaining that relationship for life.

Three Key Differences Between Fostering and Adoption

Duration of Care

Fostering is temporary, whereas adoption is permanent and creates a lifelong bond. Fostering placements can last for months or even years, which can lead to long-lasting relationships, but this is not something that is guaranteed.

Support and Training

Calon Cymru foster carers benefit from their Supervising Social Worker having a small case load so that they can best support them, as well as a varied and comprehensive training programme, with training available in Cardiff, Carmarthen and online. Adoptive parents may receive support and training, but it can vary significantly depending on the child’s needs.

Legal Rights

In fostering, the legal rights of a child in care are usually held by the local authority. In adoption, the adoptive parents gain full legal rights.

Choosing between fostering and adoption depends on individual circumstances, motivations, and capabilities. Some people may prefer fostering as it allows them to provide immediate support to children in crisis, while others may feel ready to commit to the lifelong responsibility that adoption entails.

Fostering can be a great option for those wanting to make a significant impact in a child's life without the long-term commitment of adoption. It provides the opportunity to support children while they heal or transition to a more permanent situation. On the other hand, adoption can fulfil the desire to build a family and provide a child with the stability and love they deserve for a lifetime.

If you're considering becoming a foster carer, speak with us today.