Permanence Orders

Permanence orders (legal orders settled by the Court) were introduced by the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007. They can only be applied for by the local authority and are designed to safeguard a child who will not be returning home. A permanence order will remove the child from the children’s hearing system and can last until the child reaches the age of 18. It can allow foster carers (and others caring for children) to have some or all of the parental rights and responsibilities needed to make day-to-day decisions affecting the child.