Current status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 10 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what work is being undertaken to update the current allowance system for adoptive parents and families in order to improve consistency across local authorities, including through the potential introduction of a national set rate, as is the case with the Scottish Recommended Allowance payments for foster and kinship carers.
We are not currently considering the introduction of a national set rate for adoption allowances. A National Review of Care Allowances was published in 2018 which highlighted that each local authority is able to develop their own adoption allowance scheme within the parameters of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (‘the 2007 Act’). Under the 2007 Act, local authorities have a duty to assess someone’s need for adoption support services and to provide this support.
The Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (‘the 2009 Regulations’) are designed to ensure that those persons identified in section 1 of the 2007 Act can access and receive the ongoing support for an adoption required to ensure the improved outcomes associated with adoption. It is the duty of local authorities to implement these duties to ensure that adoptive families receive this support.
The Regulations outline the circumstances in which adoption allowances may be paid and the factors that an adoption agency must take into account. Adoption allowances are not a universal entitlement, but are based on a child’s current and potential future needs.