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  2. Parenting, childcare and children's services

Adoption, fostering and surrogacy

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

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. 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

  4. Child adoption

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

  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

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Guidance and regulation

  1. Special guardianship guidance
    • Statutory guidance
    • Department for Education
  2. Adoption support fund (ASF)
    • Detailed guide
    • Department for Education
  3. Fostering services: national minimum standards
    • Guidance
    • Department for Education
  4. Young person’s guide to the Children and Families Act 2014
    • Guidance
    • Department for Education
  5. Fostering services: assessment and approval of foster carers
    • Statutory guidance
    • Department for Education
See more guidance and regulation in this topic

News and communications

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
    • Department for Education
    • News story
  2. Funding boost to improve speed and quality of adoption services
    • Department for Education
    • News story
  3. Staying Put grant: determination letter
    • Department for Education
    • Correspondence
  4. Multi-million fund reaches record number of adoptive families
    • Department for Education
    • Press release
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Research and statistics

  1. Regional adoption agencies evaluation: scoping report
    • Department for Education
    • Research
  2. LA and school expenditure: 2016 to 2017 financial year
    • Department for Education
    • Official statistics
  3. Children Adopted from Care in Northern Ireland 2017/18
    • Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and Department of Health (Northern Ireland)
    • National statistics
  4. Foster care in England
    • Department for Education
    • Independent report
  5. Social care questionnaires 2017: what children and young people told Ofsted
    • Ofsted
    • Research
See more research and statistics in this topic

Policy papers and consultations

  1. Private fostering arrangement notifications: planned revisions
    • Department for Education
    • Consultation outcome
    • Date closed 15 September 2015
  2. Fostering better outcomes
    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper
  3. Regional adoption agency (RAA) scorecards
    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper
  4. Adoption: a vision for change
    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper
  5. Regional adoption agencies programme
    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper
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Transparency and freedom of information releases

  1. Intercountry adoption: list of restricted countries
    • Department for Education
    • Transparency
  2. Adoption scorecards
    • Department for Education
    • Transparency
  3. Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2016 to 2017
    • Department for Education
    • Transparency
  4. Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2015 to 2016
    • Department for Education
    • Transparency
  5. Adoption Leadership Board quarterly data reports: 2014 to 2015
    • Department for Education
    • Transparency
See more transparency and freedom of information releases in this topic

Organisations

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