Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons statutory adoption pay is not available for people undertaking guardianship orders.

Statutory Adoption Pay is paid to eligible employees who are adopting a child to enable them to take time off work to settle the child into their new home. Unlike adoptive parents, the majority of special guardians already have an established relationship with the child. They are often relatives or family friends, and the child has often been living with them for an extended period before applying for a Special Guardianship Order.

Local authorities have a duty to provide for special guardianship support services: including financial support where necessary. Provision of support is discretionary and is based on an assessment of the guardian’s support needs. Where the child was looked after immediately prior to the making of the special guardianship order, funding from the Adoption Support Fund is available to pay for therapeutic services where they need help to recover from their previous experiences and bond with their new family.