The primary difference is fostering can start relatively quickly after your authorisation is complete. Adoption can take a lot longer as children and young people need to be on final orders and have parental agreement and court approval prior to being able to be placed into an adoptive placement.
Foster care
- Emergency and short-term foster care: The Minister holds legal parental responsibility while the focus is on supporting the child or young person and, where possible, helping them return safely to their birth family.
- Long-term foster care: The Minister continues to hold legal parental responsibility while the child or young person remains in a stable foster care placement, often until they turn 18.
Foster care can sometimes lead to longer-term arrangements, such as:
- Permanency: The child or young person remains in the care of their foster family on a long-term basis, while legal parental responsibility stays with the Minister.
- Guardianship: Legal parental responsibility transfers from the Minister to the foster carer, giving the carer greater responsibility for the child or young person’s day-to-day and long-term needs.
- Adoption: Legal parental responsibility transfers to the adoptive parent or parents, creating a permanent legal family relationship.
Adoption
Adoption is a permanent care arrangement that creates a new legal family relationship for a child or young person. It involves a formal legal process and is considered when adoption is determined to be the most appropriate long-term option for their circumstances.
