Make self-employed people eligible for statutory adoption pay
16,794 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 23 November 2021; it closed on 23 May 2022. The Government responded on 2 February 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 21 March 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Make self-employed people eligible for statutory adoption pay
Ensuring statutory adoption pay is available to a self-employed parent in the same way that maternity allowance is available for self-employed new mums would promote an equal and fair society inclusive of all routes to parenthood.
A parent taking statutory leave regardless of it being adoption or maternity should be both recognised and supported fairly. Expecting self-employed parents to take unpaid adoption leave whilst supporting their child during a critical transitional period is unfair. This current policy is not inclusive of adoptive families and to many, reads as an act of discrimination.
I wish the Government to introduce an Adoption Allowance comparable with the Maternity Allowance for the Self-Employed.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 2 February 2022; the petitions site lists the Department for Work and Pensions as responsible. Its summary:
The Government has no plans to extend adoption pay to self-employed adopters. Local Authorities can make discretionary payments to self-employed adopters who do not qualify for adoption pay.
The opening 400 words of the 407-word response:
The Government would like to emphasise how much it values people who come forward to take on the challenging but rewarding role of being an adoptive parent.
Maternity payments, such as Maternity Allowance, are designed to provide a measure of earnings replacement to help pregnant women take time off work in the later stages of pregnancy, and to prepare for and recover from childbirth, in the interests of their own health and wellbeing, and that of their baby. They are not intended to assist with the costs associated with a new child. For this reason, only birth mothers qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance.
The Government recognises that it is crucial to the success of an adoption placement that an adopter takes time off work to care for and bond with their child and that is why employed adoptive parents have broadly the same rights and protections as birth parents. Statutory Adoption Leave is a “day one” employment right - in line with Statutory Maternity Leave. Statutory Adoption Pay is enhanced in the first six weeks for eligible adoptive parents: qualifying adopters are entitled to 90% of their average earnings (with no upper limit) in this period – in line with Statutory Maternity Pay.
So far, the Government has focused on supporting employed adopters as they do not generally have the same level of flexibility over their work as self-employed adopters do. However, since 2010 we have taken a number of other, significant steps to equalise the state benefits provided to the employed and self-employed, including the introduction of the new State Pension which improves outcomes for many self-employed people.
Statutory adoption guidance also says that Local Authorities should consider making a payment - equivalent to Maternity Allowance - in cases where adopters do not qualify for any statutory payment because of their self-employment. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most, as part of a package of post-adoption support.
Prospective adopters and the child or children that they intend to adopt are also entitled to an assessment of their family’s needs. This includes a whole host of support including discretionary means-tested financial support, advice, information and counselling, and support services.
Additionally, the Government already has provisions in place such as tax credits, child benefit and Universal Credit, which provide support with the cost of raising children.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 99, came from North Herefordshire.
16,707 of the signatures were from the UK and 87 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North Herefordshire | 99 |
| Bristol North West | 98 |
| Cardiff North | 82 |
| Bristol West | 81 |
| Scunthorpe | 78 |
| Warrington South | 78 |
| Ceredigion | 76 |
| Neath | 74 |
| Easington | 70 |
| Worcester | 69 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 2,359 |
| London | 1,857 |
| South West | 1,740 |
| East of England | 1,523 |
| North West | 1,503 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,364 |
| West Midlands | 1,359 |
| Wales | 1,279 |
| East Midlands | 1,118 |
| Scotland | 1,019 |
| North East | 695 |
| Northern Ireland | 308 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 21 March 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/601323.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2e17ab9c45af43d2… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.