Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 35
We welcome the Government’s confirmation of the increased Adoption Support Fund budget for 2021–22.
Conclusion
We welcome the Government’s confirmation of the increased Adoption Support Fund budget for 2021–22. We agree with our witnesses that long-term funding for this initiative should be made available, as part of comprehensive and ongoing support for adoptive parents to overcome the challenges they have faced during covid-19.
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Adoption Strategy includes proposals for improving adoption services, and an evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund's expanded scope was published. The findings from this evaluation and a wider internal review will be considered in future business planning and the Spending Review to inform ongoing support.
Paragraph Reference:
35
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Adoption Strategy (Adoption strategy: achieving excellence everywhere) set out proposals for improving adoption services across the country, including the Adoption Support Fund. An evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund’s expanded scope in 2020–21 was published on 20 October 2021 (see Review of the ASF COVID-19 scheme). The evaluation found that the scheme had at the time “enabled very swift, flexible, and often innovative support for adoptive and SGO families, which was greatly valued by families”. Business planning in the light of the Strategy and the Spending Review will take these evaluation findings into account, together with the findings of a wider internal review of the Adoption Support Fund which took place in summer 2021.