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Adoption

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.

Original poster

Adoption pay/Foster pay

12 replies

howmanyusernames · 19/01/2018 12:18

Quick question, if you're on adoption leave but doing FTA, how does that work in terms of adoption/foster carer pay?
I know you get adoption pay when on adoption leave, but would you also get that if you do FTA as you are getting paid as a foster carer too?

OP posts:
familylifeiseverything · 19/01/2018 18:57

It really depends on your company policy as each company looks at it differently. We didn't do FTA but my company covered it within the adoption policy.

Good luck

familylifeiseverything · 19/01/2018 19:13

Sorry, I read your message totally wrong 🤦🏼‍♀️
I answered something else so apologies, don't know the answer to your question 😞

Thepinklady77 · 19/01/2018 20:52

For ftA you get paid adoption leave as per your normal company policy, either statutory or statutory plus and enhanced pay your company offer. You also will get paid fostering allowance for the child while they are with you on a fostering capacity. Basically the fostering allowance is board and keep for the child. In theory you are not making anything personally from that, it is simply to cover all expenses needed to keep the child. The fostering allowance is not payment to you for doing a job. You can not claim child benifit for the child while they are being fostered. The fostering allowance covers that.

thomassmuggit · 19/01/2018 21:24

OP are you in Scotland?

Original poster
howmanyusernames · 20/01/2018 00:08

No, England.
Okay, so we get fosters allowance and also adoption pay?

OP posts:
Thepinklady77 · 20/01/2018 11:20

Absolutely! The fostering allowance will be paid until a placement order is granted and you have gone to formal matching panel for the little one as an adoptive placement. This could be weeks or months depending on case and LA! I have known some cases to become adoptive in as little as a couple of months but I think in reality the average is much longer probably around 6 months or even more. I know some people who put the fostering allowance away so that they can draw on it down the line when they no longer get it but perhaps their enhanced adoption pay has ceased and they are just on statutory. If you are on tight finances and live month to month with little in the way of savings this is a good thing to do.

Original poster
howmanyusernames · 20/01/2018 16:05

Cool, thanks for the info! Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
howmanyusernames · 22/01/2018 12:17

It's not that we need the money, more than we don't know what we're entitled to. Even with things like child benefit, we have no idea, so it's good to know!

I even asked our SW if we get a settling in allowance as I've heard some LA's do and some don't. He just said they stopped doing it some time ago but he'll check if it ever started up again.

OP posts:
familylifeiseverything · 22/01/2018 20:38

Don't hold your breath on a settling in allowance...
We asked as we adopted siblings and they said no.

MonsterChopz · 23/01/2018 14:18

In Scotland if you are doing FtA you would have to take unpaid leave from work while you were doing the "fostering" portion and would be paid a fostering allowance. Once you were matched officially and it became a preadoptive placement then your adoption leave could start from work and the fostering allowance from SW would stop and be replaced with a lesser pre adoptive allowance that would continue until AO granted. Well that's how it works in my LA may be different in others. Depending on the timescales it can mean that you aren't entitled to any enhanced adoption pay your employer offers as mat/adoption pay is usually calculated based on your pay at a predetermined date eg. 8 weeks before leave due to start. If you were on unpaid leave at this time then you would only received the statutory mat/adoption pay.

Thepinklady77 · 23/01/2018 19:18

Monsterchopz, I am unaware of Scottish legalities but this may not be the case now. In April 2015 government legislation changed and now anyone doing Foster to adopt are entitled to claim stat pay and enhanced pay from point of placement. Prior to this you are correct people had to take unpaid leave to Foster until matched for adoption but I thought this legislation is nationwide. Many who did or enquired about Foster to adopt pre April 2015 are not aware of this change in legislation. As I said I could be wrong as I don’t know Scottish legalities but I know in Wales, England and n.ireland the above stands. I would be surprised then that Scotland would be different.

MonsterChopz · 24/01/2018 12:57

Thanks for the info, I'll need to highlight to our SW. Not that it applies to us - our 2 are more that enough work for us 😁

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