Adoption appointment eligibility declaration

Prospective adopters have the right to take either paid or unpaid time off work to attend adoption appointments in advance of adopting a child. Our form enables employees to declare their eligibility for time off. 

Time off rights

The provisions, which are in the Children and Families Act 2014, state that an employee (or an agency worker who has completed the qualifying period of twelve weeks) who has been notified by an adoption agency that a child is to be placed with them for adoption is entitled to take time off during their working hours to attend adoption appointments. Importantly, the appointment must have been arranged by or at the request of the adoption agency and the time off must be taken before the date of the child’s placement for adoption.

How much time off?

Single adopters may attend up to five paid appointments. Joint adopters may elect for one person (the primary adopter) to attend up to five paid appointments, while the other (the secondary adopter) may attend up to two unpaid appointments. The maximum time off during working hours per appointment is capped at 6.5 hours.

Evidential requirements

You can ask your employee to produce a document showing the date and time of the appointment and that it has been arranged by or at the request of the adoption agency. In the case of joint adopters, you can ask the primary adopter to produce a signed declaration stating they have elected to exercise the right to time off to attend the paid appointments, and the secondary adopter to produce a signed declaration stating they have elected to exercise the right to time off to attend the unpaid appointments. Our Adoption Appointment Eligibility Declaration can be used to record these requests and it reminds the employee to attach their documentary evidence.