Statutory Adoption pay for the self employed

[AliG79]

This is something I have never done before:
this week I have discovered that if I were to have another baby I could get statutory mat pay from the government however if I adopted one I can’t purely because I am self employed!!! Ps I am currently doing neither I’m just outraged!!

Please sign my petition to get it to parliament and also please please share it far and wide as I don’t know 10000 people. Thank you xx

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/203061

Thank you so much! Only a month left !!!
I wish you well and good luck for the future.

Hi all, please consider signing this. I have made this petition to hopefully help future adopters.

Petition: Make statutory adoption leave and pay available for the self employed
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/227534

Hi,

I am so pleased to see this thread, when I picked up the issue a couple of years ago I could find nothing then after seeing my MP and two letters from the Minister for the DWP which made it clear they had missed the point completely I decided to leave it. My position was not that I was self employed but I left a stressful job I had been doing for four years to spend some time with my daughter, then 8 wks later we found out about our second child, so I was in the same position as those who are self employed.

Anyway I saw my new MP this morning who talked much more sense than the last and has asked me to find out if there have been many people in a similar position and I think he would be very interested in the petition, are you involved with your MP, other organisations?? I'd be really grateful for any help as he understood the point and said if we could get some steam behind it we might get somewhere!
Thanks and sorry for the long post

Unfortunately my MP Just passed it on then I got a reply saying they were looking into it. Two years ago.

I can believe it but so disappointing. Can I print it off and show to my MP and would you mind telling me which MP/ constituency you have, I really don't want to let it go this time. Thanks

Of course, feel free. My Constituency is Castleford I think, don’t know my current MP

rikkwood Yup I got exactly the same thing I feel like I'm being penalised for not being able to have birth children. Am about to take 12 months off unpaid

Unfortunately we couldn’t afford for my wife to do that so she missed out, could only afford to take six weeks off. The best time to approach an MP is around election time, they couldn’t care less otherwise.

I am hopeful for this MP he said there is clearly an issue re unfairness but he needs to know how often this happens and if prospective adopters in this situation either not employed long enough or self employed ask the Local authority for an allowance. I.e if he takes it forward will the government say well there is no need to do anything because local authorities are paying out hundreds of thousands for this category of people!!!! Can I ask both of your specific circumstances?

FYI, we asked the LA to be means assessed for an allowance after our second child was placed with us and we were successful, we also helped our friend who was a single adopter and struggling financially get a retrospective allowance, the Local authority have to allow you to complete a means assessment!!

I was astounded to find this out today. Out of principal I am going to get as many people as possible to sign this petition. I doubt I’ll come anywhere near to the amount needed but it will make me feel better to try.

Hi; I just came across this as I was doing a search - I am self employed and just adopted a little girl of 2. I was under the impression I would have the same rights as my friends who are either birth mums and freelance, or those who have adopted and are PAYE. I do feel it is discriminatory - I could have gone down the embryo adoption route -and given birth to a baby and would be entitled to government maternity payment. But I decided on adoption as I felt there are already so many kids who needed a mother and home. I am a single adopter; so there is no income until I work again. If means tested of course I’ll not get a thing, because I have been saving up a few grand so I could take time off to look after my little one properly when the time came. But perhaps naively I was factoring in government maternity pay of £600 a month. I’m 46 and have paid tax and national insurance for pretty much 30 years. Would love to know if anyone else heee is up for taking this further. The petition is great - but the numbers are too low at the moment to get it taken to parliament (I will of course share). We need a lawyer who believes passionately that this is unfair discrimination against freelance adoptees - and will work pro bono. If not for us, then for the adopters of the future.