Permanency
Permanency is about belonging, stability, and continuity.
It gives children confidence about:
- where they will live
- who will care for them
- who will make decisions about their lives
Where possible, we aim to support children and young people to live safely with their parents.
Permanency can also be achieved through other long-term options, such as:
- Special Guardianship Orders
- Child Arrangements Orders
- adoption
Parents can make positive changes at any time. This may mean they are better able to care for their child.
If you are caring for a child and think their parent has made meaningful improvements, discuss this with:
- your supervising social worker, if you are a foster carer
- the child’s social worker, if they have one
If you are a special guardian, you should also raise any concerns during your annual support plan review. Tell us if you feel unable to continue caring for the child so we can put the right support in place.
If there is no social worker involved, you can ask for an assessment by completing a single contact form through the Multi Agency Children’s Hub (MACH).
We will assess:
- whether it is safe and appropriate for the child to return to their parent
- this is in the child’s best interests
- other care arrangements are more suitable