Adoption, fostering and surrogacy

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

Sign up for updates to this topic page

On this page

Services

1. Maternity pay and leave

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

2. Paternity pay and leave

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

3. Child adoption

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

4. 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

5. Foster carers

   Foster carers look after children when their parents aren't able to - becoming a foster carer, money and support available, fostering agencies

See more services in this topic

Guidance and regulation

1. Special guardianship guidance
   • Statutory guidance
   • 26 January 2017
   • Department for Education
2. Adoption support fund (ASF)
   • Detailed guide
   • 17 September 2018
   • Department for Education
3. Fostering services: national minimum standards
   • Guidance
   • 8 March 2011
   • Department for Education
4. Young person’s guide to the Children and Families Act 2014
   • Guidance
   • 30 September 2014
   • Department for Education
5. Fostering services: assessment and approval of foster carers
   • Statutory guidance
   • 15 July 2013
   • Department for Education

See more guidance and regulation in this topic

News and communications

20 July 2018 — News story

Plans to help children in foster care experience loving and stable homes

Department for Education

1. Minister visits projects supporting children's services in Leeds
   • 3 April 2018
   • Department for Education
   • News story
2. Funding boost to improve speed and quality of adoption services
   • 22 March 2018
   • Department for Education
   • News story
3. Staying Put grant: determination letter
   • 28 February 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Correspondence
4. Multi-million fund reaches record number of adoptive families
   • 2 August 2017
   • Department for Education
   • Press release

See more news and communications in this topic

Research and statistics

1. LA and school expenditure: 2016 to 2017 financial year
   • 24 October 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Official statistics
2. Children Adopted from Care in Northern Ireland 2017/18
   • 27 September 2018
   • Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and Department of Health (Northern Ireland)
   • National statistics
3. Foster care in England
   • 20 July 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Independent report
4. Social care questionnaires 2017: what children and young people told Ofsted
   • 4 April 2018
   • Ofsted
   • Research
5. Fostering in England 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017
   • 29 March 2018
   • Ofsted
   • National statistics

See more research and statistics in this topic

Policy papers and consultations

1. Private fostering arrangement notifications: planned revisions
   • 16 December 2015
   • Department for Education
   • Consultation outcome
   • Date closed 15 September 2015
2. Fostering better outcomes
   • 20 July 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Policy paper
3. Regional adoption agency (RAA) scorecards
   • 8 May 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Policy paper
4. Adoption: a vision for change
   • 19 December 2016
   • Department for Education
   • Policy paper
5. Regional adoption agencies programme
   • 19 June 2015
   • Department for Education
   • Policy paper

See more policy papers and consultations in this topic

Transparency and freedom of information releases

1. Intercountry adoption: list of restricted countries
   • 21 May 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Transparency
2. Adoption scorecards
   • 8 May 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Transparency
3. Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2016 to 2017
   • 8 May 2018
   • Department for Education
   • Transparency
4. Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2015 to 2016
   • 20 January 2017
   • Department for Education
   • Transparency
5. 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

1. Department for Education
2. HM Courts & Tribunals Service
3. Department for Work & Pensions
4. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
5. HM Revenue & Customs

Show more organisations

1. Home Office
2. Independent Review Mechanism

1. Ofsted

Explore these sub-topics

1. Adoption
2. Fostering
3. Intercountry adoption
4. Special guardianship
5. Surrogacy