Parents And Children Together (PACT), the adoption charity working in Milton Keynes and beyond, has partnered with voluntary adoption agencies across the UK to publish an advice guide on early permanence, a route sometimes described as fostering for adoption. The aim is to encourage more local families to consider caring for children from the earliest days of their time in care.
What is early permanence?
Early permanence enables prospective adopters to welcome a child into their home at the outset of the child’s care journey, providing continuity and stability while the family court determines the child’s long-term future. The approach is intended to reduce moves between placements and give children a secure start in life.
Support and lived experience
The guide draws heavily on the first-hand experiences of people who have provided early permanence. Voluntary adoption agencies say those personal accounts offer realistic advice about the challenges and rewards of the pathway, and set out what families can expect from preparation and ongoing support.
“Early permanence offers children the chance to experience stability and security at the earliest possible point in their lives,”
The sentence above is attributed in the guide to PACT’s Adoption Service Director Lorna Hunt, who emphasises both the benefit to children and the need for robust information and support for adopters.
Role of voluntary adoption agencies
Voluntary adoption agencies, which are independent not-for-profit organisations, specialise in matching children with families and in providing long-term support. They work closely with local authorities and regional adoption agencies to co-ordinate placements and ensure support continues beyond the early permanence stage.
- Agencies provide preparation, training and ongoing help for adoptive families.
- The guide contains practical testimony from early permanence carers to inform prospective adopters.
- PACT and partners aim to raise awareness so more children can benefit from stable early placements.
Local figures
PACT’s own placement figures for last year are included in the material: of the children PACT placed with families, a minority were through early permanence arrangements.
| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| Children placed through early permanence by PACT | 14 |
| Total children placed with PACT families | 81 |
| Proportion of placements that were early permanence | 17% |
Those figures underline that early permanence currently represents a relatively small proportion of PACT placements but one the charity is actively promoting as an option for suitable families.
What this means for Milton Keynes families
For people in Milton Keynes considering adoption, the guide offers a pathway that may suit those wanting to build a bond with a child from the very start. It also sets out frankly the emotional and practical realities prospective carers should expect and highlights the types of support available from voluntary agencies and local authorities.
Families interested in finding out more are advised to contact PACT or their local voluntary adoption agency for detailed information about training, assessments and the support structures that accompany early permanence arrangements.
InfoRadar will follow up with local adoption services to report on how the guide is taken up in Milton Keynes and whether it leads to an increase in early permanence placements.
