Post adoption support Local authorities’ legal duties The Adoption Support Services Regulations for England and Wales 2005 (ASR) and the Adoption and Childrens (Scotland) Act 2007 specify the following range of services which a local authority must make available to meet the needs of people in their area affected by adoption: Financial support; Services to enable groups of adopted children, adoptive parents and birth parents or former guardians of an adoptive child to meet up; Help to support contact between an adopted child and a member of birth family or former guardian; Therapeutic services; Assistance where an adoptive family are in crisis, or when an adopted child has returned to care, including arranging mediation services; Counselling, advice and information. Most local authorities provide peer support, social events and children’s activities like parent and toddler groups, coffee mornings, annual adoption picnics and specialist support groups as well as regular newsletters and parenting training courses. Getting an assessment of need for additional support If you think you need more support than you’re getting, you’re entitled to ask for an ‘assessment of need’. Local authorities have a legal duty to assess the support needs of adoptive families before placement, and then whenever needed until the adopted person reaches 18. For the first three years after the adoption order is granted, the authority who placed the child with your family is responsible for the assessment and provision of support services. After that, the responsibility lies with the local authority where you live. To ask for an assessment of need, you’d approach the adoption support team in your local authority. If you adopted through a voluntary adoption agency you could approach them first for their advice. Sometimes Local Authority social workers will do the assessments themselves. Sometimes the assessment will need to be undertaken by someone with different skills, such as a therapist or psychologist. If the local authority fails to do an assessment within a reasonable time – especially if your need for support is urgent – you can challenge them. After assessing your family’s support needs, local authorities must decide whether support is in fact required and if it is, what support they will provide. The local authority is required to ensure the adoption support that’s provided is appropriate and takes into account the needs identified in the assessment. If you live in England your local authority is able to apply to the Adoption Support Fund to pay for any specialist help your family might need. If you don’t feel that what’s being offered is adequate, you can challenge this through the local authority’s complaints procedure or the Local Government Ombudsman. Support for adult adoptees There are currently very few support services beyond those for people wanting to search for their birth relatives. However, we know that adopted people also need other forms of support including counselling and therapy to help them cope with the strong emotions which may come with being adopted. It used to be a requirement for providers of adoption related therapy and counselling to be registered with Ofsted. This requirement was removed last year to increase the number of counsellors and therapists available. However, it is advisable to see a counsellor with the relevant experience of adoption related issues. Adoption UK is growing its support services for adopted people, including therapeutic support and support groups. To find out more about this, and about other places to find support, click here: Where can adopted people go to find support? | Adoption UK Charity More information Adoption Support Services Regulations (England and Wales) Adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF-England) Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF-England) | Adoption UK Charity Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 Mapping Adoption Support in Scotland | Adoption UK Charity View a printable version of this page Meeting professionals Post adoption depression Manage Cookie Preferences