Foster to Adopt Wales: How Welsh Early Permanence Works

Welsh Early Permanence (WEP) is Wales's version of what is often called "foster to adopt" — a scheme that allows a child to be placed with foster carers who are simultaneously approved as prospective adopters. If the court later confirms that adoption is the plan, the child is already home. If the plan changes, the same carers support the transition.

It is a distinct and important route that is different from standard fostering and different from the standard adoption assessment route. Here is what you actually need to know.

What Is Welsh Early Permanence?

WEP was introduced as part of NAS Wales's commitment to reducing the number of moves a child makes before reaching a permanent home. Under the standard adoption process, a child in care typically moves at least twice: from birth family to foster carer, then from foster carer to adoptive family. Each move is a rupture in attachment.

Under WEP, the first foster placement is the adoptive family — if adoption becomes the plan. The child experiences only one transition: from birth family to permanent family.

The carer-adopters are legally a dual approved family: simultaneously holding fostering approval and adoption approval. The child is placed with them under a fostering arrangement while care proceedings continue. Once the court makes a Placement Order and confirms adoption, the family moves into the standard adoption placement process and eventually applies for an Adoption Order.

The Legal Risk: What You Must Understand

WEP is not a scheme for families who cannot accept uncertainty. The fundamental reality is this: when a child is placed with you under WEP, the court has not yet decided whether adoption is the plan. Reunification with birth family, placement with a relative, or a Special Guardianship Order are all still possible outcomes.

If the court decides the child should not be adopted, you — as the WEP carer — are expected to support that transition. This might mean supporting contact that increases while placement decreases, or caring for the child while another permanent arrangement is confirmed.

Statistics nationally suggest that the large majority of WEP placements do result in adoption — but "large majority" is not a guarantee, and entering WEP without genuinely accepting the risk is not fair to the child.

Who Is WEP For?

WEP is particularly appropriate for:

• Younger children — often under 2, and sometimes very young infants, where the benefit of an early stable attachment is greatest
• Families who can manage the emotional complexity of caring deeply for a child while the legal outcome is unresolved
• Families who are already approved adopters and are willing to also complete a concurrent fostering approval

It is not the fastest or the simplest route to adoption. The additional fostering approval adds steps to the assessment. The uncertainty during placement is genuinely harder than arriving at a match after a Placement Order is already in place. But for the right family — and for certain children — it offers the best possible start.

How the Assessment Works

To be approved for WEP, you undergo a combined adoption and fostering assessment. The adoption assessment follows the standard Stage 1 and Stage 2 NAS Wales process. Alongside this, the fostering component assesses your capacity to care for a child in the legal context of care proceedings — where you are a carer, not yet a parent.

The Vale, Valleys & Cardiff collaborative has been particularly active in developing WEP placements and has a strong governance framework for the scheme. Any NAS regional collaborative can arrange a WEP assessment — contact your regional agency to ask specifically about their WEP capacity and current referrals.

How WEP Differs from Standard Adoption in Wales

Financial Considerations

During the WEP placement, before the Adoption Order, you receive fostering allowances rather than adoption allowances. Once the Adoption Order is made, the financial arrangements transition to adoption terms — including any adoption allowances the child may be entitled to. Statutory adoption leave applies from when the Placement Order is made.

Is WEP Right for You?

The question to ask yourself honestly: can you provide excellent care for a child while holding the possibility that the placement may not result in adoption, and can you genuinely support that child's best interests even if that outcome emerges?

If the honest answer is no — if you would find that uncertainty too damaging — standard adoption is the better route. The system needs WEP families, but it needs them to be genuinely prepared for both outcomes.

For families who want to explore WEP alongside the full adoption assessment framework, the Wales Adoption Process Guide covers both routes in detail, including the dual-approval assessment process, the legal framework for care proceedings, and the WEP transition to Adoption Order.

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