Q. Where do I get a Certificate of Placement/Adoption Declaration/Adoption Order?
A. In the case of a Domestic Adoption (Within Ireland):A Certificate of Placement may be obtained from your local Health Board or theRegistered Adoption Society that arranged the placement of your child. In certaincases, an Bord Uchtála (the Adoption Board) will issue a Certificate of Placement wherethe placement of a child was not arranged by either a Health Board or the RegisteredAdoption Society.
In the case of an Inter-country Adoption (Foreign Adoption):An Adoption Declaration of Eligibility and Suitability or Adoption Order (pursuant to theAdoption Act, 1991) is issued by an Bord Uchtála.
Q. Can I apply for adoptive leave if I am on probation?
A. Yes. You are entitled to apply for standard adoptive leave and additional adoptive leaveif you are serving your probationary period (new entrant or promotee). Your probationaryperiod as such will be suspended and will be re-activated on your return to work.
Q. Will adoptive leave affect my service for pension purposes?
A. For the purposes of your entitlements under the Civil Service Superannuation Scheme,standard Adoptive Leave (paid) counts as reckonable service. Additional Adoptive Leave,being unpaid, does not reckon.
Q. Will I get credit for all public holidays which occur during myadoptive leave?
A. Yes. If you are a full-time staff member, you will be entitled to full credit for public holidaysduring your standard adoptive leave (paid) and additional adoptiveleave.
Q. Will I be entitled to paid time off from duty to attend Pre-adoption and Post-adoptionvisits by social workers and/or health board officials?
A. Yes. In line with the provisions of Circular 30/2006 on Adoptive Leave, prospective adoptiveparents are entitled to such paid time off from duty as is necessary for attendance at preadoptionand post-adoption visits by social workers and/or health board officials.
Q. In the case of an inter-country adoption, where I have to travel to a foreign country, canI commence my additional unpaid adoptive leave prior to the date of placement ofthe child?
A. Yes. You can commence some or all of your additional adoptive leave immediately beforethe day of placement of the child. Notification will have to be made via your line managerand applications should be made in the manner outlined above.9.6.5
Q. In the case of an inter-country adoption, can I claim any additional benefits?
A. Yes. Taking into account the unique circumstances surrounding foreign adoptions, up toa maximum of 4 Flexible Working Hours credits or a total of 14 hours’ credit, whichever isthe more favourable, may be granted to the staff member concerned in respect of foreignadoptions.
Q. Can I postpone my adoptive leave if my child has to be hospitalised?
A. Yes. You can apply to your Personnel Unit to request to have the wholeor part of your standard adoptive leave not taken and/or any additional adoptive leavepostponed in the event that your child has been hospitalised. Your revised return to workdate will need to be agreed with your Personnel Unit. You will then beentitled to take your postponed leave in one continuous period beginning not later than7 days after the discharge of your child from hospital. It is important to remember that themaximum period of postponement of such leave is 6 months.
Q. What happens if I become ill during my standard adoptive leave?
A. If you become ill during your standard adoptive leave (paid), you are not entitled tosubstitute this type of leave for sick leave.
Q. What happens if I become ill during my additional adoptive leave?
A. If you become ill during your additional adoptive leave (unpaid), you can apply, in writing to your Personnel Unitto terminate your additional adoptive leaveduring the last 4 weeks of your standard adoptive leave, or at any time during the actualperiod of your additional adoptive leave. It is important to note, however, that you are notentitled to take your additional adoptive leave, or any remaining part thereof, at a laterdate.
Q. I pay Class A PRSI. What happens to my social insurance record if I take unpaidAdoptive Leave?
A. An employment contribution may be credited to you for each week that you take unpaidadoptive leave under the terms of the Adoptive Leave Act, 1995. This ensures that yourcover for social welfare benefits is kept up-to-date.You will need to complete a Social Welfare AL Credits Form (available for download at
after you return to work. You should then forward it to your Personnel Unit for completion of the employer’s part of the form. The fullycompleted form should be returned to the Department of Social Protection at:
Adoptive Benefit Section
Department of Social Protection
McCarter's Road
Ardarvan
Buncrana
Co. Donegal