England’s adoption system is experiencing significant strain. As of this December, 3,000 children with Placement Orders remain waiting to be matched with an adoptive family, with average waits exceeding twenty months.[1] Yet one longstanding barrier for self-employed adopters, who receive no statutory financial support, is placing further strain on adoptive families.
Statutory adoption leave, introduced in 2002 and a ‘day one’ right since 2014, gives employed adopters access to the same leave and pay as birth parents, recognising adoption as an equally valid way to have a family. However, self-employed adopters cannot access adoption leave or statutory adoption pay, and there is no equivalent to Maternity Allowance for self-employed birth parents. [2] As a result, self-employed adopters are placed at a clear disadvantage compared to employed adopters.
Self-employment now accounts for 4.4 million workers in the UK,[3] and 10% of adopters each year are self-employed.[4] With just over 3,000 adoptions completed last year, this means hundreds of families annually are left with no statutory financial support at the moment they take legal and parental responsibility for a child.[5]
For self-employed adoptive families, the negative consequences are clear. Evidence gathered by Home for Good and Adoption UK through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Permanence found that 60% of self-employed adopters reported that the absence of financial support directly limited the amount of leave they could take at the start of adoption, and in some cases prevented them from taking leave altogether.[6] Consequently, forcing adoptive parents to return to work soon after placement.
One self-employed adopter summed up the pressure by saying, “we have been through two separate adoptions. The second time I had no choice but to keep working. I sometimes took my son with me. It was very hard.” Around two-thirds of prospective adopters report that a lack of financial provision delayed or negatively influenced their decision to proceed with adoption.[7] Several noted that they were unable to consider adopting siblings due to the financial impact of taking extended leave.[8] These responses indicate that the current framework narrows the pool of potential adopters at a time when more families are needed.
This issue also interacts with wider challenges in post-adoption support. The recent changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund have heightened uncertainty and put more families at risk of breakdown.[9] A national survey conducted early this year found that over 90% of adoptive families described the fund as highly important, while 68% reported increased difficulty accessing support following the changes.[10] For those who are self-employed, the pressure is even greater because this burden further compounds the existing challenges due to the lack of statutory support at the point of placement.
Local authority practice is also fragmented in this area. Freedom of Information responses show that one-third of councils have no dedicated policy for supporting self-employed adopters, while others rely on means-tested approaches that many families
are simply unaware exist.[11] In these councils, 90% of adopters were not informed that financial support might be available.[12] This produces an arbitrary system in which families can experience different outcomes.
The Government has confirmed that a review of parental leave and pay is underway.[13] For this review to be taken seriously by adoptive families, it should explicitly assess the position of self-employed adopters. Introducing an allowance equivalent to Maternity Allowance would align provision for self-employed adopters with the core purpose of Statutory Adoption Pay. Clarity on this point is essential.
[1] Department for Education (DfE) (2025) Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board: Quarterly Data Collection, Q2 20252-6. Available online.
[2] See GOV.UK. Maternity Allowance. Available online.
[3] Office for National Statistics (2025) Labour market overview, UK: November 2025. Statistical bulletin. Available online.
[4] APPG Adoption and Permanence (2022) Self-employed adopter survey: Autumn 2022. Joint Secretariat: Adoption UK and Home for Good. Available online.
[5] Department for Education (2025) Children looked after in England including Adoption. Available online. [Accessed 03 December 2025].
[6] APPG Adoption and Permanence (2022) Self-employed adopter survey: Autumn 2022. Joint Secretariat: Adoption UK and Home for Good. Available online.
[7] Ibid
[8] Ibid
[9] Department for Education (2025) Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. Written Statement HCWS589, House of Commons, 22 April. Available online.
[10] Home for Good & Safe Families, Changes to the ASGSF (July 2025).
[11] Home for Good (2022) Adoption Pay: Levelling up for the self-employed. Available online.
[12] APPG Adoption and Permanence (2022) Self-employed adopter survey: Autumn 2022. Joint Secretariat: Adoption UK and Home for Good. Available online.
[13] House of Commons, Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay, Westminster Hall debate, 27 October 2025, Vol. 774, col. 25WH et seq.
