Adoption, fostering and surrogacy

Becoming a foster carer, adopting a child from the UK or abroad, looking after someone else's child.

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Services

• Maternity pay and leave

  Your Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Leave - what you get, how to claim, maternity rights and extra help

• Paternity pay and leave

  Your Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave - what you get, how to claim, eligibility

• Shared Parental Leave and Pay

  You can start Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) if you're eligible and you or your partner ends your maternity or adoption leave early - eligibility, entitlement, starting SPL and splitting blocks of leave

• Child adoption

  The adoption process - eligibility, assessment, adoption agencies, overseas adoptions and the rights of birth parents.

• Looking after someone else's child

  Support and benefits you can get if you're looking after someone else's child, court orders - kinship care, private fostering, friends and family care

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Guidance and regulation

• Adoption support fund (ASF)
  • Detailed guide
  • 3 February 2023
  • Department for Education
• Fostering services: national minimum standards
  • Guidance
  • 8 March 2011
  • Department for Education
• Special guardianship guidance
  • Statutory guidance
  • 26 January 2017
  • Department for Education
• Fostering services: assessment and approval of foster carers
  • Statutory guidance
  • 15 July 2013
  • Department for Education
• Young person’s guide to the Children and Families Act 2014
  • Guidance
  • 30 September 2014
  • Department for Education

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News and communications

• Government bans unregulated accommodation for young people in care
  • 23 March 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Press release
• Staying Put grant: determination letter
  • 2 April 2022
  • Department for Education
  • Correspondence
• Multi-million pound boost for new families as adoptions increase
  • 3 March 2022
  • Department for Education
  • Press release
• Children and Families Minister speech at NCASC conference
  • 24 November 2021
  • Department for Education
  • Speech
• Ofsted: Lack of foster carers mean children missing out on support
  • 11 November 2021
  • Ofsted
  • 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
• Future inspection of Cafcass from 2021
  • 17 March 2021
  • Ofsted
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 11 November 2020
• 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

• Intercountry adoption: list of restricted countries
  • 3 April 2023
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• 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
• Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2015 to 2016
  • 20 January 2017
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency
• Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2014 to 2015
  • 27 March 2016
  • Department for Education
  • Transparency

See more transparency and freedom of information releases in this topic

Organisations

• Department for Education
• HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Department for Work & Pensions
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Independent Review Mechanism

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• HM Revenue & Customs
• Department for Business & Trade
• Home Office

• Ofsted

Explore sub-topics

• Adoption
• Fostering
• Intercountry adoption
• Special guardianship
• Surrogacy