DEVON County Council is calling for parents who want to adopt to consider fostering first in a new scheme to help reduce disruption to children in care.

Devon Adoption has introduced the government-led Foster to Adopt scheme. The scheme aims to protect children from experiencing multiple moves within the care system while detailed assessments of their birth family are completed and the court decides on the plan for their permanent care.

The scheme is used for babies and children in the council’s care where the plan is likely to be adoption but who still have a chance of being reunited with their birth family.

Foster to adopt works by placing babies and children with adopters who have been assessed and approved as temporary foster carers. These carers will provide the child’s day-to-day care and work with the child’s social worker to ensure all the child’s needs are met.

At the same time, the child’s social worker will continue working with and assessing the child’s birth parents. The court will make the final decision on the plan for the child.

If the decision is the child should be adopted then foster to adopt carers can go to an adoption matching panel. If the panel agrees, they will become the child’s adopters.

Alternatively, if the court decides the child should be returned to their birth family then the child returns to the family.

Cllr James McInnes, Devon County Council cabinet member for Devon Adoption, said: ‘Having prospective adoptive parents who are willing to foster first offers children care, stability and love at an uncertain time in their lives. We are looking for families who want to adopt and can give a child a loving home but are willing to be temporary carers until the final decision is made for the child.

‘We appreciate that what we are asking isn’t easy. Fostering to adopt requires emotional resilience and willingness to be able to offer a child a nurturing home whilst living with the possibility that the child may return to their birth family.

‘Your ability to care is what matters most. If you think you could care for a child and maybe become their forever family, then get in touch today – we have children waiting to be adopted in Devon right now.’

Louise and Neil, from east Devon, who are adopting through the foster to adopt programme, said: ‘Last year we were approved to adopt but although we applied for matching with a few children it didn’t work out, so our social worker explained more about foster to adopt. She talked us through the whole process and was really supportive.

‘We felt apprehensive at first because there is uncertainty. We were worried we would find it difficult if we couldn’t go on to adopt.

‘But we wanted to give a child the best start in life they could have, even if it was just caring for them for a few months.

‘The benefits for the child in care are enormous. They get that bond and attachment to their new family quicker and because they don’t move around they feel settled and, most importantly, loved.

‘Foster to adopt is a very good process. We are now very lucky to have a lovely little child as part of our family.’

More information about the scheme is available online along with details of how to get in touch with Devon Adoption.

l Names have been changed to protect identities.