adoption allowance

[prumarth]

Hi all, I have a question I'm hoping someone can help me with as Google is coming up short!
After a lot of thought, my husband and I have decided it would be better if I took a few years out if (or hopefully when!) we adopt. Bit scary for someone who was a career girl up to now!
So now doing frantic sums and stumbled across some mentions of an adoption allowance. I'm pretty sure our sw said they aren't available but there is mention of it online - however nothing specific. Can anyone advise if they know anything about this? Is it down to the la to decide?

You have a financial assessment it's normally paid with hard to place children x

Thank you - I knew someone here would be able to answer me in a quicker, clearer way than the sites I've been googling!

Yes, I think it's paid with children who have very high care needs.

Some agencies also pay some kind of settling in grant (to pay for essential items like buggies etc).

My agency wouldn't part with the price of a stamp

They used to be more common than they are now - the cutbacks have cut back what LA's are prepared to pay

It's a means tested allowance for children who are hard-to-place (it's a requirement that the child be a hard to place child to recieve AA), based on fostering allowances. Each LA will have different requirements for who can recieve it (ie. what they count as hard to place, or deserving of an allowance), and each one pays different amounts of it! Some LA's pay far less than others

Statutory guidance says that the maximum that could possible be payed in AA to anyone would be the LA's core fostering allowance plus any enhancements this particular child would have got in foster care. But LA's can set less than that level as their maximum, and that's the absolute maximum, the means testing of parents means that very few people will get the maximum the LA is willing to pay.

I get it for my DD2, a little under £500 a month. Thankfully because of her high needs, which were recognised before placement and they were willing to give a lot of support for her, her LA agreed a set amount a month until 18. DD was placed in 2004.

A little while ago, they tried it on of course. Sent out letters to all adopters with allowance, saying they were reassessing everyone and adjusting the AA accordingly (another way of saying they'd reduced the levels they were willing to pay and were going to apply it to those who'd already adopted as well as new applicants for AA). I responded by informing then politely but firmly that they'd signed and agreed a certain level until DD was 18, and as far as I was concerned, that was the end of the matter and they'd already signed away their right to reassess me (I didn't say it quite like that, but that's the blunt way of saying it). I was actually stunned that they backed down. Pleased, but a bit stunned!

As Devora said, some agencies will pay a settling in grant to help with essential items, this is more commonly going to be for sibling groups

Thanks Davora and Lilka, that's very helpful.
Well done on drawing a line with the LA Lilka - makes you wonder how many people don't realise their entitlement and end up getting less than they are owed.

Our LA is similar to Devora's.
When we adopted our elder two we were given a few hundred pounds as a settling in allowance, that was in 2001, and a sibling group, now, I don't think they pay a penny.
We also had to pay for our medicals, which many GP'S waver the fees knowing it is for an adoption.

In light that's its less likely that you'll get an adoption allowance. Just a thought Pru (funds permitting) you could take your adoption leave entitlement and then take a sabbatical. No pay for sabbatical but leaves options open for you.

We get a good adoption allowance for our 2 youngest but they do have significant medical needs. We did not get one for the eldest 3 who have Down Syndrome (all from different LA's)
Good luck

I know someone who got adoption allowance recently, but only for a year whilst on adoption leave. Round here it seems all LAs give a £250 settling in grant, and pay for medicals and court fees.

A lot of harder to place children may qualify for disability living allowance, which is non means tested. It is a nightmare to apply for though!

No idea about adoption allowance, but we've been told that we get a settling in grant, which will more than cover all the bits we need to buy. We are adopting through a 'deprived' London borough. In our first meeting with a different borough we were informed that we would get nothing.

It is a statutory right AA for people who wish too adopt when income is low for what ever reason. As some have described , adoptee's can apply
via their solicitors too the courts for AA too be considered during adoption legal process. Best not too mention until due process by the sounds of it. , and discuss with solicitor's.

I got a very generous AA for a hard to place older child with significant needs. But that was in the olden days .

OP, are you planning to adopt a child with SN?

Our dd was placed with us a year ago and legal order went through in summer. Our LA paid up to £1000 settling in grant, we had to provide all receipts. We also got £100 per week, until adoption order was granted, which I think mirrored foster carer allowance payments. Our dd had no special needs identified. We went through an agency that dealt with many different LA and our social worker told us, that although a settling in grant was quite common, the weekly allowance was now very unusual for a single child with no special needs. We felt very lucky (mostly to have DD!) to get this allowance as it really helped financially with the time off work.