A/HRC/11/L.11 page 49 59. Frequent changes in care setting are detrimental to the child’s development and ability to form attachments, and should be avoided. Short-term placements should aim at enabling an appropriate permanent solution to be arranged. Permanency for the child should be secured without undue delay through reintegration in his/her nuclear or extended family or, if this is not possible, in an alternative stable family setting or, where paragraph 20 above applies, in stable and appropriate residential care. 60. Planning for care provision and permanency should be carried out from the earliest possible time, ideally before the child enters care, taking into account the immediate and longer-term advantages and disadvantages of each option considered, and should comprise short- and long-term propositions. 61. Planning for care provision and permanency should be based on, notably, the nature and quality of the child’s attachment to his/her family; the family’s capacity to safeguard the child’s well-being and harmonious development; the child’s need or desire to feel part of a family; the desirability of the child remaining within his/her community and country; his/her cultural, linguistic and religious background; and relationships with siblings, with a view to avoiding their separation. 62. The plan should clearly state, inter alia, the goals of the placement and the measures to achieve them. 63. The child and his/her parents or legal guardians should be fully informed about the alternative care options available, the implications of each option and their rights and obligations in the matter. 64. The preparation, enforcement and evaluation of a protective measure for a child should be carried out, to the greatest extent possible, with the participation of his/her parents or legal guardians and potential foster carers and caregivers, with respect to his/her particular needs, convictions and special wishes. At the request of the child, parents or legal guardians, other important persons in the child’s life may also be consulted in any decision-making process, at the discretion of the competent authority.