In this guide, we set out the development of Fostering for Adoption (FfA) as a route to early permanence and explore current best policy and practice.
In this guide, we set out the development of Fostering for Adoption (FfA) as a route to early permanence and explore current best policy and practice.
What the guide covers
- The historical development of FfA as a route to early permanence.The legal requirements on local authorities when they are care planning for children and identifying FfA carers, and the differences between legislation and guidance in England and Wales.
- Which children will benefit from an FfA placement.
- How practice has been developing and what can lead to good practice in the care planning and placement of children in FfA placements.
- The recruitment, preparation and assessment of FfA carers, best practice and carers’ accounts of their experiences.
- How agencies and FfA carers can manage the period of the fostering placement whilst decisions are being made about the long-term future for the child, including situations where a child returns home. Accounts from FfA carers highlight some of the emotional impacts for them during this period.
- The further planning that is needed to progress the adoption match once authority to place has been given, in most cases following the conclusion of care proceedings, or once parental consent has been formalised, including the final consideration of the match and the role of the adoption panel.
- Post-match considerations and how agencies can support the prospective adoptive family through to the making of the adoption order, and what needs to be considered in the provision of adoption support.