# A Diary For Concurrent Care - A Different Journey



## happypenguin (May 8, 2013)

I enjoy reading all of the wonderful (touching, funny, heartbreaking & eye-opening) diaries so thought I should try to add in my own, slightly different, version. 

For those that don't know, myself & DH are on the Concurrent Care/Concurrent Planning journey & it might be good for any body else considering this or already on the journey too to share our experience.
I'll not go into too much details about the process (since this is a Public Forum), but an introduction to the process could be helpful. Especially as we get further down the line. 

Concurrent Care, in a nutshell, is acting as a Foster Carer to a child aged 0-2 - this included everything that a Foster Caring role entails - contact with Birth Family, no Parental Responsibility etc. Where the child cannot be returned to the Birth Family then we are already passed as Adoptive Parents and so can adopt. 
Benefits - no moves for the child unless back to Birth Family. Stability & routine.

Now, here is where I stress that we have our eyes completely open on this. The child could go home & the child could stay with us in a forever home. We take that risk & bear the heartache that this may bring. We're doing it for the child's sake and it's a very well discussed, calculated 'risk'.

So, where are we in the process? We began at the start of April & after a very intense Skills To Foster Course followed by a very intense Adoption Prep Course we are now well on the way with our Home Study. We are being assessed for both fostering and adoption and so, I guess, our home study may have some subtle differences but sounds like it's mostly similar to all of you. 
We'll need to attend (& hopefully pass) two panels   

So far, we've found the process a joy. Blooming hard work but a joy nevertheless!! 

I'll be back to update as we plough through the process as I'm pretty sure things will be very interesting in the months to follow

Happy Penguin


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## crazyspaniel (Sep 12, 2012)

Look forward to hearing about your journey x


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## Mummy DIY Diva (Feb 18, 2012)

Good luck x x


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## gettina (Apr 24, 2009)

Good luck to you Penguin.
In our LA it's treated a bit differently as in you don't get approved as FCs but all the rest is the same as you said.  And it just gets offered as part of matching, taking you down that v different route after panel. V rare in our LA though.
We are open to it but v scared of it. I will be v interested in how concurrency treats you
best
gettina


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## happypenguin (May 8, 2013)

Thanks ladies 

Gettina - I think for fear is in the unknown. Hopefully, as we go further into the process we can give a better insight into it all and maybe it will open new doors to some of you starting out on the adoption journey.

We have both panels during August so after that the real stuff can begin!


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## Barbados Girl (Jul 7, 2012)

Penguin, looking forward to hearing all about your journey.  What agency are you using?


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2013)

Good luck to you penguin - hope it is a smooth and happy journey for you  xxx


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## happypenguin (May 8, 2013)

So here I am once more............

Home Study completed, PAR read and signed and we go off to two panels next week (one Foster Panel, one Adoption Panel) and then we can really let go and see where the journey takes us. 

We're still both really happy with the process and what we have chosen to do and (after next week) we can start to get excited too.
We don't envisage any issue at Panels but until it's official we've held back a little!

Barbados Girl - we are with our LA

Good luck to everybody else and I will update after next week


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## Mummy DIY Diva (Feb 18, 2012)

Fantastic news get those panels done and then the real fun begins x x


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