Adoption and working for permanence

We saw in Chapter 2 that, whatever is meant by ‘children’s needs’, in some sense it is true that all children need to experience stability and security as they grow up, in order to have a sense of belonging and a secure identity. For many children who come into care the experience is a relatively short one, and they quickly return to their own families. In most cases it is assumed that their own families are able to provide them with the necessary stability and security. For a high proportion of children and young people, however, it is the task of the care system to meet these long term needs.