Welsh Early Permanence

Welsh Early Permanence (WEP) is the umbrella term given to the practice of placing children, with prospective adoptive parents who are also approved as temporary foster carers.

What is Welsh Early Permanence?

For most children in Wales, when they are first removed from their birth family either just before or at the start of care proceedings, they are either placed with family members or in a foster placement with approved foster carers. If the care plan for adoption is accepted by the court, the foster carer sees the child through their transition to their adoptive placement.

Welsh Early Permanence involves the foster carers who care for the child being approved as prospective adoptive parents. They care for the child, facilitate contact with the birth family and take part in the child’s looked after reviews.

If the care plan is for reunification with birth family, the carers help the child with the transition.

If the care plan is for adoption, the child remains with the carers who can then apply to become the child’s adoptive parents. This is beneficial to the child because they do not face a transition from foster placement to adoptive placement.

Is Welsh Early Permanence right for you?

Becoming a WEP carer is not for all adopters but if it is something you want to explore further your agency can sign you up to a ‘Is Welsh Early Permanence right for you?’ webinar, where you will hear more about the role of a WEP carer.

Laura and Jonny were some of the first carers in Wales to be approved under the WEP Framework. Laura and Jonny demonstrated a strong commitment to caring for their son whilst decisions were being made about his future. In this video they share their journey through the fostering and adoption process and reflect on the positives and the challenges WEP brought for them and their family.

WEP Champion

Each adoption collaborative has an allocated WEP champion who is a key point of contact for enquiries and advice regarding the WEP process within each region. They work alongside the WEP co-ordinator within the Central Team to support practice development and provide training for practitioners and carers. The champions also meet collectively to share practice learning across Wales. Should you have enquiries about referrals, WEP training or other aspects of process and practice in your area please get in touch with the relevant contact for your region: