ey are considering providing financial support in respect of:  legal costs, including court fees, where an adoption order is applied for in respect of an agency adoptive child, see chapter 8; or  expenses associated with introductions between an agency adoptive child and their adoptive parent prior to placement. 9.37. Where a foster carer applies to adopt a child that they have been looking after and the local authority opposes the application, the local authority is not required to meet the legal costs of the foster carer. This is because the authority has not placed the child for adoption with the foster carer, and so the child does not fall within the definition of an ‘agency adoptive child’. In such circumstances the local authority may wish to advise the foster carer that they may be able to obtain help with legal costs from the Legal Services Commission provided they satisfy the means and merits tests. 9.38. Entitlement to Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) and adoption leave and ordinary or additional Statutory Paternity Pay and paternity leave depends on how long the adoptive parent (or their partner) have been employed by their current employer and their average earnings. Both of these conditions are based around the date the adoption agency tells the adoptive parent that they have been matched with a child. The local authority should consider making a payment of financial support equivalent to the Maternity Allowance to adoptive parents who are ineligible to receive SAP because of low earnings, length of service or self-employment, but otherwise satisfy the relevant criteria for Maternity Allowance. 176 Review of financial support paid periodically: ASR 20 9.39. ASR 20 sets out the requirements for the frequency of reviews of periodic financial support, and the pr