Over recent years, we have urged the Government to take the necessary steps to improve support for self-employed adoptive parents. On Tuesday 14 January 2025, a parliamentary debate on financial support for adoptive parents took place.

Statutory adoption leave for employed people, first introduced in the UK in 2002 and a ‘day one’ right since 2014, enables adoptive families to access the same rights and financial benefits as those available through statutory maternity and paternity leave and pay.

However, if an individual is self-employed, they are currently unable to access adoption leave and are ineligible for any form of statutory adoption pay. There is also no equivalent arrangement to the maternity allowance that is available to self-employed birth parents. This places those who are self-employed at a distinct disadvantage in comparison to employed adopters.

We have been calling on the Government to take action so that parity is achieved for self-employed adopters. In 2022 we published our report, Adoption Pay: Levelling up for the self-employed, and through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Permanence we gathered evidence from individuals who have been affected by the lack of an equivalent to the statutory maternity allowance.

On Tuesday 14 January 2025, a parliamentary debate on financial support for adoptive parents took place. Lisa Smart MP opened the debate, placing a spotlight on the evidence Home for Good has gathered:

During the debate, Members of Parliament Danny Kruger and Steve Darling referenced Home for Good’s research and our work with churches inspiring and equipping individuals and families. Both MPs championed our efforts while emphasising the need for greater support for adoptive families.

Andrew Western MP, representing the Department for Work and Pensions, responded on behalf of the Government. Mr Western made assurances that the evidence shared during the debate would be included in the government’s review of the parental leave system. In addition, Mr Western promised to write to the Department for Education about ensuring funding in the Adoption Support Fund continues beyond April 2025.

If you’d like to read the full debate transcript, you can find it here.

We urge Government to take the necessary steps to address the unfounded and arbitrary discrepancy facing self-employed adopters. This crucial change will be a significant step forward in finding a home for every child who needs one.