Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential long-term cost to public services arising from changes to the levels of therapeutic support for adopted children.

The adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) provides important therapeutic support for adopted and kinship children. The changes to the ASGSF in the 2025/26 financial year were made to ensure support for all those applying for ASGSF. After the change in the fair access limit, the average cost per approved therapy in 2025/26 was below the maximum permissible amount, at £2,844. In the 2026/27 financial year, the overall budget for the ASGSF has been increased by 10% to £55 million, further ensuring support can be provided for those who require it. The level of funding available should enable eligible children to access support at similar levels to the average package received from previous years. As always, local authorities and regional adoption agencies may use their own funding, where appropriate, to supplement support.

The department is currently undertaking analysis from the public consultation regarding wider adoption support, including the ASGSF, which has been recently completed. This included seeking information from relevant stakeholders on what support is effective, as well as providing value for money.