Fostering for Adoption: Our Story and Stories of Others,

Abstract

This personal account of the fostering to adoption process offers thoughts and reflections on the process of fostering to adopt from the perspective of prospective adoptive parents. The book chronicles the journey of the author and her husband in the form of diary entries. These diary entries are interspersed with reflections from the author, which are used as a tool to introduce accounts from some other families who have also been approved to foster to adopt. The author sought permission to share accounts from 16 self-selected families who she met via an Instagram community. The book aims to offer insights to those considering fostering to adopt and their support networks, through plugging a gap that the author herself noted, ‘ this is the book we wanted to read: a book with real life accounts of the process ’ p.14. Each chapter begins with a brief but helpful overview of the chapter, there are several helpful signposts to further references or data for readers seeking more information, particularly relating to the characteristics of the children for whom adoption is the care plan. An introductory chapter highlights the basic legal routes for fostering to adoption in England and Wales and offers a brief background to the policies that have shaped adoption practice over the last decade, particularly the need to prioritise stability for children in their early years. Although the policy focus described is child focussed is its approach, this book seeks to explain the impact of fostering to adopt on the prospective adopters involved and takes a more adult focussed approach. The author explicitly anonymises profiles and stories to protect the identities of the children involved, making clear in the same vein that her son ’ s story is his to share should he wish.