The Government has announced it will continue to fund therapeutic services for families of vulnerable and adopted children, as it allocated £50 million to the adoption and special guardian support fund (ASGSF).
MPs from across the House criticised the Government for the delayed announcement, accusing it of leaving children who have experienced “the deepest trauma” in “limbo”.
Education minister Janet Daby recognised it has been a “difficult time” for those who access the support, and said she regretted the delay in allocating funding for the scheme for the 2025/26 financial year.
Families of adopted children and families with a special guardianship order (SGO) or a child arrangement order (CAO) in place wanting to access therapy can request funding through local authorities or regional adoption agencies.
Responding to an urgent question on the fund, Ms Daby said: “I very much appreciate that the delay in confirming continuation of this fund has been a very difficult time for many, and I am especially concerned about children and families, because many of those whom the adoption special guardianship support fund supports are in great need of help and in need of continued help.
“I do also recognise that there has been an impact on providers of therapy who have not been able to plan and prepare for the year ahead in the way they would have liked.
“However, the department has been clear with local authorities and regional adoption agencies about transitional funding arrangements, which means that therapy which started in the last financial year can continue into 2025/26, even ahead of full 25/26 budget announcements.
“Appropriate transitional funding has been agreed for a significant number of children.
“I do regret the delay in making this announcement, but I’m very happy to confirm that today that £50 million has been allocated for the adoption and special guardianship support fund this year.
“We will be announcing further details to the House in the coming days and opening applications to families and children across our country as soon as we can.”
Asking the urgent question, Liberal Democrat education, children and families spokeswoman Munira Wilson said families had been “left hanging and in limbo”.
The Twickenham MP added: “Many members on all sides of the chamber have spent the last few months asking question after question and being batted away, time after time, that answers will be forthcoming.
“Yet this vital fund is there to help those most vulnerable children who have experienced the deepest trauma.”
Ms Daby said she “recognises the potential impact on children and families”.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell described the delay as a “tragedy” because “many services have closed and people’s therapy (has) been stopped as a result of this hiatus in funding”.
The York Central MP added: “Will she ensure that those people impacted by this gap in the funding will be able to have additional support for the trauma that it could have caused to those young people? And will she ensure that the Treasury sign off funding ahead of deadlines when funding ends?”
Ms Daby said the Government is “committed” to adopted children and “will continue to work together to make sure sufficient funding is in place and is more timely”.
Labour MP Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) also pressed the Government to “guarantee that this doesn’t happen again”.
Ms Daby said the Government “will continue to support local authorities” to fulfil their statutory duty to have support services in place for adopted children.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott questioned why the Government had not confirmed the funding sooner.
She said: “It is utterly extraordinary that today we have had to summon the Government to the chamber to provide clarity on whether they have axed the programme which ended yesterday – so we thought – and supports 20,000 of our most vulnerable young people.”
Responding, Ms Daby said applications would be open “as soon as possible”.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, Steve Darling, who was himself put up for adoption, said the information on the continuation of the fund had been dragged from the minister “kicking and screaming”.
He said: “The world is a much more complex place and children are so much more likely to have had adverse childhood experiences and then need this funding.
“One had hoped that after the general election, the adults were back in the room. Can the minister assure this chamber that the funding will continue for year after year after year?”
Ms Daby replied: “This Government has no plans to prevent this funding at this time from continuing.”
Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, asked the minister to clarify if there would be “a slight expansion of the remit of the fund so that it can help more people in kinship care”, telling MPs that he had been raised in a kinship care setting.
Ms Daby said the Government is not “looking to expand this fund” but that the funding announced would also be available to kinship carers.
The Labour MP for Cannock Chase, Josh Newbury, said he is an adoptive parent and foster carer and called for “timely decision-making when it comes to support for vulnerable children and young people so that there’s continuity of support”.
The minister said she agreed decisions needed to be made “in a timely fashion” and she appreciates “the concern that delay in this announcement has caused”.
