Adoption Support Fund

(asked on 30th January 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the recommendations of the all-party Parliamentary group for Adoption and Permanence’s report entitled Investing in Families, whether he will rename the Adoption Support Fund to signal that some special guardians are eligible to apply to the fund.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 4th February 2020

Improving adoption is a key priority for the government. I wrote to Directors of Children’s Services on 16 January stating that we wanted to see a renewed focus on adoption and permanence by all local authorities. In particular, we wanted to ensure that adoptive families receive ongoing support from the moment that the child is placed with them and throughout their childhood.

Local authorities have an ongoing legal duty to provide support services that meet the needs of local adopted families. My letter asked them to identify where they were doing well, but also at areas where they think they could improve.

Last year, we announced that the Adoption Support Fund would continue with increased funding until 2021.

The Department for Education’s spending after 2021 is subject to a future funding settlement with HM Treasury. We will consider the name, scope, eligibility and delivery requirements of the Adoption Support Fund as part of that.

We are taking action to increase awareness of the Adoption Support Fund amongst eligible special guardianship families. An information leaflet is being developed in partnership with Family Rights Group, Adoption UK and Home for Good. The leaflet will be promoted by relevant charities and will be made available to all local authorities so they can make the information available to the families who they are working with.

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