Closed petition Adoption allowance for self employed people

Closed on 13 May 2013

This e-petition highlights the discrimination faced by Self Employed people wishing to adopt children.
As an `employee' it has been recognised that there is an entitlement to Statutory Adoption Pay, as there is for Statutory Maternity Pay. For Self Employed people there is Maternity Allowance. Therefore it should follow that a Self Employed person adopting should be entitled to Adoption Allowance – however this is not the case – there is no allowance! With a renewed focus on addressing the shortage of adoptive parents the lack of financial support is staggering. This means that some Self Employed People are unable to adopt.
I wish the Government to introduce an Adoption Allowance comparable with Maternity Allowance for Self Employed people. This cost would be a fraction of that required to provide foster care for a child, and in view of the fact that numbers of Self Employed people are rising, would increase the amount of people able to adopt.