Justice For Families

Isn't it sad that I could not afford to have my own child because I am the main breadwinner in my home, but I could afford to adopt?

I would get 6 weeks paid leave at 90% of my salary and 24 weeks staturary maternity leave at £108 a week.

If I adopted I could get up to 9 months paid leave (on a sliding scale I think) but it is much more than the stat maternity leave...

I would like to know why this is and why by doing this the state implies that adoption is more important than having your own child. Why isn't it the same for families who want to bring up their own child? Why does the state favour adoption over having your own child?

John - can you ask these questions in parliament?

If you got a childminder then it would cost at least £100 a week. Im sure you could afford a child.If people can on benefits. You have a partner.

They are not cheap but not as expensive as you think. I buy his clothes in the sale and our grocery bill is only £30 a week.

I get what you are saying. It is a cheek that the gov give adopters preferential treatment. Probably have to bribe people to adopt.

I thought I read somewhere that they get an allowance as well. Have you ever heard of SS doing anything for real families so they can have a break.

Their respite is never worth the risk of taking. I made that mistake once.Never again.

My husband earns less than half of what I do....he would have to give up work and me return to work. Which isn't necessarily a problem but it would be really really tight whilst I was on maternity leave.

But if I adopted (never ever would) - I get up to 9 months salary, and still accrue holiday leave so realistically I could get almost a year off work. But this isn't offered if you have your own child which I think is disgusting to be honest.

The crazy thing is in our case that the kinship carers get money for the children. If we were successful in our application - we would get nothing which again is a disgrace. SS can offer financial incentives to carers but nothing for the natural parents. When most of the issues are probably to do with money anyway!

Interesting point worth highlighting. If the adoptive placement breaks down, I wonder if the adoptive parents have any financial obligation to the child till the child gets to 18?....after all, the adoptive parents are legally the child's parents. Real biological parents don't usually give their children away/back. I bet that if you compair the ratio of failed adoptions to failed families - where the parents give the child away/back - you would find more ailed adoptions than failed families - which reinforces the fact that families would do better if helped than forced apart.

I remember somebody sent me an e-mail : ask pleas ehow many SW's in your area are taking children out of the care pool?
I observe now a disabled social worker off work for 1 year now with a trans- racial child.
I asked my own MP , is she renting him out for 1 year off with perks or keeping him?

I can tell you we never got any of this. New adoption Laws have come into force since we adopted of course. But this may have been one of the many things that the LA we adopted from managed to withhold from us. Hadn't had many people like us who question the system, so we will punish these people by keeping them like mushrooms in the dark.

Correct me if I am wrong but birth parents are now also entitled to paid leave on the birth of a newborn, that includes men as well as women.

There are also benefits for all parents, which may be appropriate, there is for example

Child Benefit
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit

Help For Single Parents etc

The Department For Work and Pensions may be able to advise anyone about this as they deal with the above benfits.