The interagency fee is a charge that is paid when a local authority places a child with an adopter approved by another adoption agency (this could be another local authority, a regional adoption agency, or a voluntary adoption agency).

The purpose of the interagency fee is to ensure that agencies receive adequate payment for the work involved in recruiting, assessing, preparing, approving and matching their adopters, and in supporting a child’s start in their adoptive family’s home. It is also intended to encourage the matching of children and adopters across agency boundaries, which is crucial for avoiding delay and ensuring the best possible matches for children.

The interagency fee increases every year on 1 April in line with Consumer price inflation including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) for the previous calendar year, as published by the Office for National Statistics.

Interagency fee rates & terms 2020/21

(NB The fee for placing 2 or more children is calculated differently in Scotland.)

Please note that the interagency fee is paid by adoption agencies – it is not charged to adopters. Adoption is free of charge for all who wish to adopt. 

Adoption myth busting