Placement Order

A placement order is a court order that allows a local authority or adoption agency to place a child with prospective adopters.

It does not make the adopters the child’s legal parents

Parental responsibility usually remains with the birth parents (shared with the local authority)

It is about where the child can live, not who their legal parents are

It happens before the child is placed or early in the placement process

In simple terms: a placement order allows a child to be placed for adoption.