Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has received representations about extending the Adoption and special guardianship support fund to ensure it covers 12 months of therapeutic support.

No representations have been received on this issue. Under the current guidelines for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, applications for therapeutic support can already be submitted for up to a 12 month period. This has allowed children who start therapy at different points within the financial year to continue to receive it for 12 months. Although business planning decisions for next financial year have not yet been finalised, applications for the fund with therapy starting in this financial year are still being accepted and processed under business as usual.