Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local government finances on the ability of local authorities to fund additional therapy above the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund's fair access limit.

The adoption and special guardianship support fund provides up to £3,000 per child annually for therapeutic support. The department has assessed that £3,000 can fund an average of 19-20 hours of therapy, on the basis of median hourly rates for contact time, and allowing for additional costs. Decisions to fund additional therapy beyond this fair access limit rest with individual local authorities. Adoptive and kinship families can also receive help from local authority Family Help services. The government is doubling investment in these services to over £500 million in 2025/26.