Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of equalising access to adoption (a) leave and (b) pay by introducing an adoption allowance for self-employed adoptive parents.

The department recognises that it is crucial to the success of an adoption placement that the adopter has time to care for and bond with their child.

Self-employed adoptive parents may be supported in a range of ways by local authorities, including through financial support where applicable, as set out in the statutory guidance on adoption. This states that local authorities should consider making a payment, equivalent to Maternity Allowance, in cases where adopters do not qualify for any statutory payment because of their self-employment. This payment is discretionary and is means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most, as part of a package of post-adoption support.