Adoption

Pay and leave, adopting through your council, inter-agency fees, placement, inspection forms.

Services

Child adoption
The adoption process - eligibility, assessment, adoption agencies, overseas adoptions and the rights of birth parents.
Adoption pay and leave
Your Statutory Adoption Pay and Leave - what you get, how to claim and eligibility
Apply to adopt a child through your council
Apply to adopt a child through your local council if you are 21 or over and can offer a stable home to a child
Surrogacy: legal rights of parents and surrogates
Legal rights for intended parents and surrogates; how legal parenthood is transferred; children born outside the UK; pay and leave rights
Plan your adoption leave
Work out your Statutory Adoption Leave dates - Ordinary and Additional Adoption Leave period, notice period and earliest start date

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Guidance and regulation

Adoption support fund (ASF)
- Detailed guide
- 3 February 2023
- Department for Education
Young person’s guide to the Children and Families Act 2014
- Guidance
- 30 September 2014
- Department for Education
Adoption: statutory guidance
- Statutory guidance
- 18 July 2013
- Department for Education
Adoption: national minimum standards
- Guidance
- 25 July 2014
- Department for Education
Apply for a review panel: adopters and foster carers
- Detailed guide
- 31 July 2020
- Independent Review Mechanism

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News and communications

Services for vulnerable children in the Northeast rated Outstanding
- 20 August 2021
- Department for Education
- Press release
Families across England to receive better support to adopt
- 26 July 2021
- Department for Education
- Press release
New adoption and special guardianship leader appointed
- 15 December 2020
- Department for Education
- Press release
Education Secretary urges overhaul of adoption system
- 14 October 2020
- Department for Education
- Speech
Multi-million fund reaches record number of adoptive families
- 2 August 2017
- Department for Education
- Press release

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Research and statistics

Applying behavioural insights to fostering and adoption in England
- 15 December 2022
- Department for Education
- Research
Adoption support fund: local authority, regional adoption agencies and provider experiences
- 15 December 2022
- Department for Education
- Research
Adoption support fund: study of family experiences
- 15 December 2022
- Department for Education
- Research
Adoption support fund: second follow up survey of parents and carers
- 15 December 2022
- Department for Education
- Research
Evaluation of the adoption support fund 2018 to 2022
- 15 December 2022
- Department for Education
- Research

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Policy papers and consultations

Adoption support agencies: proposed regulation changes
- 9 January 2023
- Department for Education
- Closed consultation
- Date closed 20 March 2023
Changes to the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020
- 9 March 2021
- Department for Education
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 28 February 2021
Children and Families Act 2014: government response to the Lords Select Committee report
- 6 February 2023
- Department for Education
- Policy paper
Adoption strategy: achieving excellence everywhere
- 26 July 2021
- Department for Education
- Policy paper

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Transparency and freedom of information releases

Adoption scorecards
- 15 July 2021
- Department for Education
- Transparency
Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2016 to 2017
- 8 May 2018
- Department for Education
- Transparency

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Organisations

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Ofsted