Early Stages - Can we afford to foster to adopt?

[clhsgirl]

Hi everyone, my husband and I are beginning to consider adoption after 4 years of infertility and one cycle of IVF that resulted in two miscarriages. We are interested in early permanence as a route to building our family but are concerned about whether we can afford to do it. I am an M6 primary school teacher (with experience in attachment theory) in a London fringe area and my husband works full time for a university. We own a two bedroom maisonette. I feel that we could be good candidates for adopting but I'd love to hear from others who have been in a similar situation. I know I would have to give up full time work but I'd almost certainly still need to work part time to keep on top of the bills and mortgage. Looking forward to hearing from everyone.

[easilydistracted1]

The agencies we have approached have said one person needs to be home for at least a year. You get fostering allowance for a particular period either until matching or placement order. Varies between areas it seems. The adoption pay will depend on your work policy beyond statutory. I think but am not sure that you would get statutory when you have your fosling placed. I've emailed my hr to clarify as were very much at the same stage.

[Jellycatspyjamas]

You’ll be expected to take a years adoption leave, statutory adoption pay matches maternity pay and your employer may offer enhanced adoption/maternity pay. After adoption leave you can look at whether/how you return to work based on your child’s needs. This is the same for any child adopted or birth child, with the understanding that an adopted child will need more thought about childcare and may not tolerate childcare in the way other children might.

I’m guessing these were all considerations when trying to conceive so you may find the plans you already had in place are still relevant.

[Noimaginationforaun]

I know there’s also been a larger prevalence now in early permanence taking longer than a year to go through the courts so I suppose it’s also taking into consideration visits to birth family and how you would manage that after a year if you were back at work.

[EG88]

I have done early permanence twice. My advice would be to speak to your employer about their EP policy (if they have one.) Frustratingly many do not. You could ask them to create one (I did) and if so they can approach it in one of two ways:

1. You immediately begin your 1 year paid adoption leave (matching their maternity leave policy) However, in addition to this you will be getting fostering allowance so you put that aside and then use it to extend your adoption leave beyond the year. Tell your employer that this is your plan so they know you will be taking extended unpaid carers leave from school after your adoption leave runs out.
   
   
2. Their policy is that you only recieve adoption leave pay upon receiving a matching certificate. In this instance you live off foster care allowence untill matching. Upon matching you begin your 1 year adoption leave pay. This is what I did. It took 2 years to get a matching certificate so I was very glad that this was all in place. Upon matching I began my adoption leave for a year. I then went back to work but it could only be 3 days a week as contact was still ongoing until AO was granted 3.5 years after LO came to my care.
   
   Sound advice given above - EP rarely takes a year.
   
   Hope that helps x

[NickD87]

We recently got a matching certificate when we had the ADM approval for foster-to-adopt, which entitled me to the adoption leave and pay right away. As with the nature of F2A it was all quite quick, so I added in the 5 days additional for appointments for introductions - which you also need the matching certificate for.

is it not the case that all F2A carers get a matching certificate at placement rather than adoption?

[NickD87]

If you were going through IVA and felt you could afford having a baby naturally I don’t see why it would be any different to afford a baby with F2A.

You’ll have the additional foster payments too during that time which you could put aside.

If it’s wondering about the added approval due to looking at finances, I really wouldn’t worry. As long as you can show you can provide for the baby and give all the love and attention thats all that really matters. You don’t need to be rolling around in spare cash. Just show you have a decent plan in place :)

Good luck!

[Jellycatspyjamas]

is it not the case that all F2A carers get a matching certificate at placement rather than adoption?

The matching certificate is given following matching panel regardless of F2A, it’s the paperwork that triggers adoption leave so always comes before placement.

[EG88]

@Jellycatspyjamas Do you mind explaining the above again to me just to confirm. I'm putting things in place for a third f2a but until now I've never been able to get my adoption leave until I can produce a matching certificate - over a year after placement. Should I be entitled to adoption leave payment on placement on LO even if I'm a foster carer at that time? Many thanks.

[Jellycatspyjamas]

I’ll preface by saying I’m in Scotland, so our process and legislation may be different but early permanence (F2A) in my LA and the others that I know the matching certificate is given at placement - prospective adopters then either ask for a leave of absence until a decision is made to proceed to adoption (and are paid a fostering allowance) at which point they switch to adoption leave or go straight to adoption leave. It may well be different south of the border as legislation is different.

[NickD87]

I have just foster-to-adopted and have only just finished transition. We had an adoption matching certificate when the ADM has signed the foster to adopt papers - so I could take adoption leave. I am in England. I am via Local Authority.