The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund is Changing: Here’s What That Means for the Families We Support
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) provides financial support for children who have been adopted or are living under Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs). The Fund can provide valuable supports for families in England, offering access to therapies that can help stabilise placements, improve relationships, and give children a real chance to recover and thrive.
Originally launched in 2015 as the Adoption Support Fund, it was introduced in recognition of the fact that early and targeted therapeutic intervention can significantly improve outcomes for children.
Such early support is not only transformative for families but also helps prevent costly placement breakdowns in the future.
But like many things in our sector, the Fund isn’t immune to change, and right now, the changes are significant enough that we need to talk about them.
Key Changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund:
After months of uncertainty, on April 14th 2025, the government confirmed that the ASGSF would continue until March 2026.
While this was a welcome extension, in response to the growing demand and increasing financial pressure, the government also introduced several changes aimed at spreading the available resources more widely.
The most notable change is the Fair Access Limit (FAL) being reduced from £5,000 to £3,000 per child, per year. Previously, there was a separate budget for specialist assessments, but under the new rules, these assessments (which are now capped at £2,500) must come from the same £3,000.
Additionally, the government has removed match funding, which previously allowed local authorities to top up funding for therapy exceeding the Fair Access Limit.
Ultimately, the change has meant that families may receive fewer sessions or more limited support unless additional local funding can be found.
Additionally, all applications for funding support must now be submitted by local authorities or Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) within 3 months of a family’s needs assessment, and retrospective applications will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
What the Fund Covers:
Despite funding limitations, the ASGSF can still be used for a wide range of therapeutic services, such as:
- Parenting programmes to support therapeutic parenting,
- Creative therapies like art, music, drama, and occupational therapy,
- Family therapy to improve relationships and communication,
- Talking therapies, including psychotherapy and counselling, and
- Life story work to help children make sense of their past.
These forms of support help children in building secure attachments, improving emotional regulation, and staying engaged in education, particularly with those who have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Most importantly, these supports help keep placements stable, especially for those facing complex challenges, reducing the risk of family breakdown.
The Impact on Families:
The delay in announcing the Fund’s continuation meant that applications were paused, which is causing significant disruption to therapy services.
Any applications exceeding the new funding cap are being returned, with councils and Regional Adoption Agencies (RAA) being required to revise and resubmit them.
This has already caused delays for many families, especially those who have been newly approved for the funding and could cause significant disruption to the ongoing therapy for others.
Retrospective claims for therapy will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, so funding applications should be made before therapy starts.
The Implication of These Changes:
There are concerns within the Health and Social Care Sector that, as more children come forward, their access is becoming increasingly restricted, and this may have an adverse effect on both the children and families involved. Not to mention the likelihood of this placing additional strains on services that are already struggling to cope with current demand.
The Key Themes for Assessment:
- One size does not fit all,
- Ensure children and families do not miss out on support,
- Ensure children are not offered the wrong type of support or shorter, ineffective interventions, and
- The Fund must remain needs-led, not financially driven.
What are the Next Steps?
While funding is in place until March 2026, what happens after that will depend on government spending decisions.
But here’s what we can do in the meantime:
- Encourage families to plan early – Therapy should not start until the application is approved,
- Submit applications quickly – The 3-month window after assessment is critical,
- Talk openly with families – Be transparent about the new limits and help them understand their options, and
- Keep advocating – Support families to speak to their local authority or RAA about their eligibility and to ensure applications are submitted promptly.
To read the Department for Education’s official guidance and criteria, please click here.
Our Final Thoughts:
We’re all operating in a system that is under increasing pressure.
However, in the midst of everything, we can still push to keep it human and remember that behind every application is a family trying their best to stay strong.
We hope you can join us in continuing to support them and keep pushing for a funding model that supports them!
This blog was brought to you by the Lead Consultants at tri.x.