Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
We recommend that the Government conduct a review of the services funded under the Adoption...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government conduct a review of the services funded under the Adoption Support Fund’s expanded scope in 2020–21, to consider which of the services temporarily offered in response to covid-19 should continue to be in scope for the Fund in future, or even scaled up and offered as standard across the whole of England. The review’s findings should be published in advance of the 2021 Spending Review, to ensure the long-term funding necessary to achieve this can be included in future departmental spending allocations. (Paragraph 36) Employment and the work environment
Government Response Summary
The government states that an evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund's expanded scope in 2020-21 was published on 20 October 2021, aligning with the recommendation for a review. Findings from this evaluation and a wider internal review will inform future business planning and the Spending Review.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
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.