ASGSF roundup

Nearly 300 of you joined a webinar with us last week to ask questions and share your anger and fears about recent changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). An agonising wait for confirmation of whether the Fund would continue to exist at all was followed by two weeks of silence before significant changes to the Fund were announced – including a 40% cut to the amount allocated per child per year. It’s been an extremely difficult time for thousands of families and we’ve been keeping the government informed about your concerns.   

Applications finally open

On April 24th, 24 days after the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund put applications on hold for the new financial year, the Government updated the ASGSF pages on its website to reflect the changes it has made for this financial year, and to enable applications to now go be actioned.  

It confirms that until the end of March 2026, the ASGSF will have a single fair access limit of £3,000 per child per year for therapy and that specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 per child will still be considered, but only within the overall £3,000 fair access limit. Match funding of up to £30,000 for complex therapeutic needs has been completely dropped.  

Presumably to plug some of the gap in support for families waiting now, it also states that until the end of June 2025, Government are allowing retrospective therapy applications that meet certain criteria, back to 1 April 2025. 

We urge you to contact your adoption agency for further information. 

Earlier this week the Children’s Minister, Janet Daby MP, issued a written statement to the House of Commons officially confirming the reduced funding per head for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) this financial year. This was a formal update to parliamentarians following the announcement to the sector on 14th April, issued whilst MPs were on Easter break. 

The Minister suggested that cuts to the Fair Access Limit from £5,000 to £3,000 will enable more children to access the Fund, as demand continues to rise against a backdrop of wider funding pressures on the Treasury. She said: “The Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund will still enable those eligible to access a significant package of therapeutic support, tailored to meet their individual needs.”  

With little evidence of any formal impact assessments having been made in the process of making this decision, Adoption UK and others across the sector will hold the Government to account on that promise.  

Action against cuts!

Meanwhile, our brilliant adoption community has been mobilising to voice concerns around the funding cuts and the perceived lack of understanding from Government as to just how critical the right therapeutic support is for adoptees dealing with a legacy of trauma.  

As part of that, some have come together to organise a protest march at 13.00 on 3rd May, when adoptees, adopters and professionals working with them, will march in Westminster. Full details are to be found on the Action against ASGSF Facebook page. Protestors are meeting at 12.30 at Richmond Terrace, SW1A 2AL and will march from there via Victoria Embankment and return to Richmond Terrace. A small delegation will deliver the petition to 10 Downing Street. Adoption UK are looking forward to joining on the day. Anyone interested can find details on social media: Facebook | Action against ASGSF changes

The group has also set up a petition. 

The campaign continues, and we urge everyone who hasn’t already done so, to consider writing to their MP. We have drafted an updated template letter for you which you can share with your MP here. Please also feel free to share our Open Letter to the Secretary of State, jointly co-signed by our partner organisations Kinship, Coram, and CVAA. 

A huge thank you to all who attended one of our webinars so far, or written to us to tell us about the impact the delays have had on your family. We are overwhelmed by the response and have compiled a list of all the questions raised, together with the experiences you have shared, and are liaising with the Department for Education on the follow up. 

Meanwhile, we continue to add pressure to parliamentarians and the Department, alongside our sector partners. With the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill now in the House of Lords, we are seeking to table an amendment to that Bill which would probe Government on its commitment to adoption support more broadly. 

We are determined to fight these cuts and look forward to continuing our campaign together. Please keep an eye out on our social media channels and website for future updates. And remember you can contact our Information and Support Line 0300 666 0006. It’s free and confidential.