Section 1: Adoption Allowances - Eligibility for financial support Continued

How to apply for Adoption Allowance

How we work it out 10

Adoption Allowance Annual Reviews. 11

Appeals. 12

Payment of Adoption Allowances. 12

How to apply for an Adoption Allowance

Prior to the Adoption Order being granted, where the Adoption and Permanence Panel have confirmed a child’s eligibility for an Adoption Allowance, an application pack will be sent to the prospective adopters for completion. The prospective adopters must complete the application form in full, providing all required evidence, including proof of income, exceptional expenditure and evidence of additional support needs of the child.

The form and all evidence must be returned to AFAdmin@aberdeencity.gov.uk.  

Where the Adoption and Permanence Panel states a child is not eligible for an Adoption Allowance and the child’s or the adopters’ circumstances change, potentially impacting the child’s eligibility, adopters are encouraged to contact the Council’s adoption service to discuss accessing support. Where it is felt an Adoption Allowance is required, a social worker within the adoption service will complete a financial assistance request, which will include the circumstances supporting access to the Adoption Allowance. The financial assistance request will be submitted to the Service Manager with responsibility for the adoption service with a view to seeking approval for the adopters to access the Adoption Allowance. If approval is given then, an application pack will be sent to the adopters for completion as set out above. It is important to note that this does not guarantee the allowance will be paid, it merely allows access to the application pack which will be required to be processed and means tested.

How we work it out

Business Support staff will check the form is complete and will add figures from evidence provided to a means test form.  An example Means Test is provided as Appendix 1 – Example Means Test.

Relevant income and expenses will be included on the means test and details of what is included will be on a quick guide to how Adoption Allowance is calculated.  This guide will be made available to adopters and prospective adopters, see Appendix 2 - How we calculate financial eligibility for Adoption Allowance.

Included as expenditure is a personal allowance of £23600 for couples, £18920 for single parents and £3600 personal allowance for each child living in the family home.  An allowance is not included for any additional adults living in the home.

Once Business Support staff have input relevant figures a calculation will be made to determine the percentage of relevant income is spent on relevant expenditure.

Allowances Payable according to % outgoings 

The means test and all relevant documentation will be passed to the Team Manager for the Permanent Carers Team with responsibility for adoption allowances, who will make a decision based on the evidence provided.  In some circumstances, decision making may be escalated to the Service Manager with responsibility for the adoption service.  The adopters will receive written (electronic) confirmation of this decision.  Should the decision be to begin paying an Adoption Allowance, an Adoption Allowance Agreement and bank details form will be included with the decision and these must be completed and returned to AFAdmin@aberdeencity.gov.uk before payments can begin.  Also included in correspondence will be

• the amount of Adoption Allowance to be paid to the adoptive parents
• the method by which an Adoption Allowance has been determined.
• the date on which the payment will be made or, in the case of an Adoption Allowance to be paid periodically or by instalments, the date of first payment.
• the frequency of payments and the period of an Adoption Allowance. (where applicable)
• the arrangements and procedures for review, variation and termination of an Adoption Allowance.
• the responsibilities of the adoptive parents with regard to their obligation to notify the Council of changes in their circumstances.

Business Support will pass details of payments to Finance colleagues who will make payments in line with agreed schedules.

Annual Reviews

Aberdeen City Council will request an annual review of the circumstances of those in receipt of an Adoption Allowance.  This review will take the same format as the application, with adopters having to complete a form, a means test being carried out and a decision made as to the level of payments.

Adopters must not wait for this review to advise the Council of relevant changes to their circumstances.

In certain exceptional circumstances it will be determined that a means test is not required.  Should this be the case, the adopter must still provide an annual update and a form will be provided to facilitate this.

Should adopters not return their review forms on time this may potentially result in the review being delayed and the allowance being stopped until such time the review can be completed. If the review paperwork is significantly late and the Adoption Allowance is stopped and restarted, any payment will be restarted from the date the application pack was received, unless advanced notice of the delay has been provided.

Appeals

Should adopters wish to appeal the outcome of their application, they can do this by emailing AFAdmin@aberdeencity.gov.uk who will pass this appeal to the Service Manager with responsibility for the adoption service.

Payment of Adoption Allowances

Adoption Allowance can be paid as regular payments, one-off payments or periodical payments. Periodically payments might include therapeutic services or transport costs in respect of contact with birth family equipment or to facilitate access to activities which will support the child’s developmental needs.  Adoption Allowances will be paid over 52 weeks. 

Periodic payments will be paid initially for a period of twelve months after which the payments will be reviewed and potentially terminated unless the adopters advise that the expenditure is ongoing and provide the necessary supporting evidence.  The amount paid will be reviewed at this point.   

Current Financial Rates for the year 2023 are as follows:

The Adoption Allowance is inclusive of Child Benefit, and this will be deducted from the allowance which is paid directly to an adopter.