CoramBAAF welcomes the Government’s announcement on funding for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and consultation
CoramBAAF welcomes the government announcement today confirming that funding will be in place for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund until March 2028 alongside a formal consultation on the future of the fund. The announcement about the funding being in place for the next two years, including an increase to £55 million for the next financial year, is something that CoramBAAF and partners (Adoption UK, CVAA, Kinship, FRG and ASGSF campaign) have been calling for. We also welcome that there is now a formal consultation for 12 weeks and we encourage anyone who is affected by the fund to participate in this and share their views. CoramBAAF will formally be responding to the consultation on behalf of our members, in addition to collaborating with our stakeholder colleagues.
This announcement will be welcomed by many adoptive and kinship families who have been worried about the availability of vital support that they rely upon. This includes concern about whether there will be a gap in therapeutic provision or whether any additional support will be available at all, which can place additional strain on families who desperately need it. Whilst we welcome this we still have concerns about the reductions to the individual funding limits available for children and families. These cuts have a direct impact on some of the most vulnerable children and their families and we will continue to advocate for the funding limits to be reviewed.
We will also advocate for Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAA’s) as a source of expert knowledge and experience in the adoption sector and welcome the announcement of a dedicated national fund for Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAAs) – enabling VAAs to deliver a consistent early‑help offer across the country, complementing Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs) and ensuring all adoptive families can access a core level of support.
Within the consultation, which runs until May 2025 there are a number of important announcements. They include a proposed practice guide linked to the Adoption Support Plan developed by CoramBAAF, building on work started by Adoption England, standardising needs assessments for adopted and eligible kinship children and devolving the fund. We will be commenting on these proposals and supporting our members in the delivery of them.
Overall, we are pleased that the government has listened to campaigners, adoptive and kinship families, partners in the sector and practitioners to stabilise the funding whilst decisions about the future of the fund are considered. We will continue to campaign for more support for children and families and we will keep our members informed of further developments.