I'm planning to adopt a child, what do I need to do?
Let your line manager know that you are planning to adopt a child as early as possible.
Your line manager will inform HR who will arrange a meeting between you and your HR Advisor.
Your HR Advisor will guide you through the process including leave and pay entitlements, keeping in touch days (KIT), notification requirements in addition to providing an opportunity to discuss other queries you may have.
Please note that our Adoption policy and procedure does not include special guardianship, adoption of existing family members or private adoptions (without involvement of UK Authorities or Adoption agencies).
Employees who have been matched with a child for adoption can take up to 52 weeks Adoption Leave, and may be entitled to 39 weeks of Adoption Pay dependent on their length of service.
If a couple jointly adopt a child, one may take Adoption Leave and the other parent may be able to take Paternity Leave. Eligible parents also have the option of Shared Parental Leave scheme.
If the adoption is overseas, we will require ‘official notification’ (permission from a UK authority) that you can adopt from abroad and a completed SC6 form to evidence your adoption.
You are required to notify your HR Advisor within seven days of receiving confirmation of your adoption match or confirmed date of placement.
We ask that you inform us of when you expect the child to be placed with you and when you wish your adoption leave to start.
In the case of an overseas adoption:
- the date of the employees’ original notification and the expected date the child arrives in the UK – within 28 days of receiving the notification
- the actual date the child arrives in the UK within 28 days of this date
- how much Adoption Leave the employee wants and when they want it to start – they must provide 28 days notice.
The main parent has the right to paid time off to attend up to five adoption appointments.
Surrogacy parents are permitted paid time off to attend up to two antenatal visits.
Employees must notify their line manager in writing in advance of the appointment stating the date and time of the appointment and may be required to produce written evidence of appointments.
In order to be paid during their period of Adoption Leave employees must inform HR at least 28 days before they wish to commence Adoption Leave where reasonably practicable to do so and provide evidence of their entitlement to Adoption Pay.
The evidence should show:
- name and address of the agency and employee
- date the child was matched (for example, the matching certificate)
- expected or actual date of placement (for example, a letter from the agency)
- relevant UK authority’s ‘official notification’ confirming the parent is allowed to adopt (overseas adoptions only)
- date the child arrived in the UK (for example plane ticket (overseas adoptions only)).
Parents who have been employed by the University for a minimum of 52 weeks ending with the week in which they are notified of being matched with a child for adoption are entitled to Occupational Adoption Pay as follows.
Occupational Adoption Pay (OAP)
(i) 18 weeks at full pay (including Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP*))
(ii) 21 weeks at flat rate SAP* (or 90% of earnings if this is less than flat rate SMP); and,
(iii) Additional leave will be unpaid.
Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP)
Parents who do not qualify for Occupational Adoption Pay and who have been employed by the University for a minimum of 26 weeks ending with the week in which they are notified of being matched with a child for adoption are entitled to Statutory Adoption Pay (provided that their earnings reach the Lower Earnings Limit for National Insurance Contributions.
SAP is calculated as follows:
- six weeks at 90% of average weekly earnings followed by
- 33 weeks at the lower rate of SAP.
Please provide at least 28 days notice, unless there are mitigating cicumstances which prevent this.
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For UK adoptions, leave will start either:
- on the date the child starts living with the employee or up to 14 days before the expected placement date
- when an employee has been matched with a child to be placed with them by a UK adoption agency
For Overseas adoptions, leave will start when the child arrives in the UK or within 28 days of this date.
For parents in surrogacy arrangements, the day the child is born or the day after.
You can take up to 10 days' work during their Adoption Leave period, agreed in advance with your line manager.
Once they have been worked, please notify your HR Advisor to arrange payment with Payroll.
If you intend to work before the end of the 52 weeks Adoption Leave period, please provide eight weeks written notice to your line manager and HR.