Research and analysis
Family Routes study: making decisions about their children’s care
Report documenting adoptive parents’ and special guardians’ reflections on making decisions about their children’s care.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Family Routes is a longitudinal study intended to track the needs, experiences and outcomes of children leaving care on an adoption order (AO) or special guardianship order (SGO), in England.
This is the first in a series of reports drawing on in-depth interviews with 74 families: 40 adoptive families and 34 special guardianship families.
It examines reflections on decisions (in some cases, taken around 20 years ago) at 3 key points to highlight the support that families feel helped them, or might have helped.
The Family Routes study: methodological paper has more information about the development of the study.
Updates to this page
Published 26 June 2025