IFA Foster with adoption query

[FosterMamaScot]

Name changed for privacy.

Hi everyone,
I’m a foster carer in Scotland with an IFA (independent fostering agency), and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.

We’re currently caring for a child, and the decision has now been made that permanency (long-term fostering) is not an option — adoption is the confirmed plan. We love this wee one dearly and would like to adopt if we’re seen as the right match. Social work have said they believe it’s in the child’s best interests to remain with us, but because we’re with an IFA that doesn’t offer foster-to-adopt or concurrent care, we’re worried this could complicate things.

Has anyone else in Scotland been through this — fostering through an IFA and wanting to adopt the child in your care? Were you able to adopt directly, or did the child have to move to a local authority carer first? What did the process look like, and what was the outcome?

I’ve posted this in both the adoption and fostering boards, so apologies for the duplication — I’m just trying to catch anyone who’s been in a similar situation.

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you’re happy to share.

I’m a social worker in Scotland and an adoptive parent.

It should still be relatively straightforward. You may need to go through the local authority assessment process as an adopter but that would be the case if you were a local authority adopter. The child remains in local authority care for legal
purposes even if placed with an IFA - they literally provide the care service.

The tricky bit will be the timing of the adoption and when the placement is deemed an adoptive one rather than a fostering arrangement because your fostering allowance will stop when the child is deemed to be placed with you for adoption and that usually happens pre adoption order. My guess is that once the child is formally matched with you it’ll be considered an adoption placement and the fostering allowance will stop. You could try to negotiate an adoption allowance as a transitional arrangement given you don’t accrue adoption leave from an employer because foster carers are considered self employed. I’d consider that reasonable to support your adoption leave as such. Even though the child has been in your care I’d argue that you’ll need a period of adjustment in that the child would be legally yours and you’d take on full parental rights, which is a bit of a shift.

The local authority may well treat this as an easy placement, which it is in many ways, but think seriously about the support you might need and have it written into the placement plan.

There’s no reason why the child should need to move care placements pending adoption though, and I’d argue it’s not in the child’s interests.