We are often asked about the costs of adopting and although some of this is straightforward to answer, some of the wider costs of adopting children are more complex. We thought it might be helpful to discuss some of the financial considerations and commitments required when adopting…       

Direct costs involved in the assessment process.

The direct costs involved in the assessment process are actually very minimal. As a potential adopter, you do need to have a medical undertaken, usually by your GP who will make a charge for this. This varies across GP practices but is unlikely to be more that £130.

The only other direct cost is the court fee for the adoption order, this is XX and we do reimburse adopters for this.

What other considerations and commitments are needed for the initial assessment process?

As part of the assessment process, one of our team of social workers will need to come and visit you in your home as a critical part of the assessment process. In the first stage of the process (which normally takes around 2 months) this will be one or two visits, as this first part of the process has a focus around ‘checks and references’ such as the medical mentioned above, DBS and collecting references.

If you are adopting as a couple, we need you both to be present for these visits which will normally need to take place within ‘office hours’. Once the checks and references are back in and we enter the second stage of the assessments there will be around 6-8 visits which may be every week, or every two to three weeks. You should plan in advance for how you can be available in the day for the visits to occur. We will always be as accommodating as we can be to arrange times to suit everyone whilst also committing to maintaining a healthy work life balance for our staff.

During the first stage of the process, you will also be invited to come along to our ‘Adoption Preparation Training’ which is a key part of your preparation for adoption. We have a range of options across the region so you can hopefully find one that works for you. The training is face to face and usually takes place on the same weekday for 5 weeks. Again, if you are adopting as a couple, you will both need to attend this as there is a lot of helpful information for your adoption journey as well as the building of an adoption support network for you with other people in similar situations.

Because of the time commitment required, we would suggest that if you are about to undertake a house move or major renovations, embarking on travelling, starting a new employment with limited ability to take time off, or any other significant life change, you talk to us about this as you begin your application, as it may be best to delay the start of the assessment until life is more settled.

Costs of being an adoptive parent

If you plan to adopt under an ‘early permanence’ (sometimes called ‘Foster to Adopt’) then there are fostering payments that are made whilst the child/ children are placed on a fostering basis. Alongside this there are also fostering commitments such as reporting on activities and wellbeing and regular visits from social workers from the adoption, fostering and children’s teams.  We can discuss this with you if this is something you are considering and part of our adoption preparation training also focusses on the commitment required for adopting in this way, as well as the emotional challenges associated with this route.

There is limited specific funding currently available via applications, based upon assessed the needs of the child, to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for additional therapeutic support.  It is important to be aware that the Government has made provision for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to be available for the financial year 2025-2026, however this will be reviewed again next year and may or may not continue to be made available. 

With the exception of the funding above, there is no additional, specific funding available for adoption. Therefore it is crucial that adopters should have considered and taken relevant steps to be in a financial position to be able to meet the financial and time commitments required in parenting a child or children through to adulthood.

Costs of raising children

The costs of parenting vary widely and are difficult to estimate exactly (although we will look at research below that has made some estimations). But for those who are planning the start of a parenting journey through adoption there are a few elements that should be considered.

Adoptive parents become the legal parents of the child or children that they adopt. As such, adopting means that you have the same entitlement to supporting benefits as any other parent such as child benefit and any means tested welfare benefits. More information on these can be found on the Government website where details of entitlements to adoption leave can also be found.

It is worth exploring your entitlements for leave before applying to adopt so that you can consider what time you can have off work. Our expectation is that at least one parent will ideally take 12 months away from other employment once a child or children are placed to help them settle and for bonding to occur. We must remember that adoption is a huge change for children at any age and it is crucial that childcare and changes are kept to a minimum in the early months.

Although in some specific circumstances limited equipment for young children may come directly from the foster carers, you should discuss with your social worker what  you are likely to need to buy  in readiness for a child or children being placed. For babies, this list may help as a starter.

If you are planning on adopting a pre-school age child and will require childcare after adoption leave, you should consider what Government funding is available and what costs you would need to be able to cover. If you are considering reducing your hours of work then it is worth speaking to your employer regarding this and any opportunities for family-friendly working that exist. You may have heard of a change in the law regarding the right to request flexible working, this charity has lots of information on what this means in practice.

For school aged children you may need to consider ‘wrap around’ service costs and would still need to consider who is available for unplanned absences and emergency/ illness pick-ups.

Longer term costs and planning for adoption

School uniforms, out of school activities, family holidays and all of the ‘usual costs’ of family life should be considered when looking to start a family via adoption, this checklist will give you some ideas on what to consider, but it is also worth asking family and friends what they have found as additional costs and commitments. This blog explores the costs of raising a child up to the age of 18 which is estimated at about £12,000 per annum. However, the age of the child or children you are planning to adopt will make a substantial difference in regard to childcare/ reduced earnings and equipment costs. Childcare availability and costs can vary massively between areas so local families can be a great source of ‘on the ground’ information for you too.

We absolutely recognise that people have different financial starting  points and commitments and we will explore your financial situation and work commitments during the assessment.

We would suggest that there should be a ‘buffer zone’ of savings that can be accumulated prior to the adoption journey to avoid any financial vulnerabilities going forward when loss of earning and additional costs will be occurring. If you have debts that you are managing (outside of mortgages and student loans) you will need to speak to us about these and the plans for these going forward.

Whilst we understand talking about finances and time commitments may be far from your mins when wishing to embark on a new parenting journey through adoption, we hope that this has helped you to consider the importance of them as part of the assessment and your planning process. Our social workers are always happy to discuss with you any issues or concerns that you have. We are here to support and guide you and just ask that you are open and honest with us throughout the process.