Question reference: S5W-09064
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 27 April 2017
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Current status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 10 May 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether self-employed parents are entitled to statutory pay when adopting a child, and what financial and mental health support is available to all parents who adopt.
Answer
Statutory Adoption Pay is a reserved matter. Under UK Government regulations, self-employed parents are not entitled to statutory pay when adopting a child.
Under The Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, adopters have a legal right to request an assessment of their needs at any time and additional support can take many forms. Corporate Parenting duties on all relevant public bodies require bodies to work together to meet the needs of current and former looked after children.
The Scottish Government's Mental Health strategy released on 31 March 2017 includes a number of actions to build on the existing support already available.
The Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009 provide the framework for the provision of support and allowances. An adoption allowance may be payable to an adoptive parent for the purpose of supporting the placement of the adoptive child or the continuation of adoption arrangements after an adoption order is made. Agencies are required to publish information on the details of their adoption allowances scheme.