Recommendation 39

It is unacceptable that the continuation of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund was not announced until 1 April 2025, leaving families and children uncertain about the future of their support. We also note many concerns about the new funding limits and the impact this will have on children and families. We are concerned that this is an example of the Government making a consequential change in one part of the system without introducing the reforms and mitigations in other parts of the system that are urgently needed. In this case, there is an urgent need to make mental health support available for adopted children, which could reduce pressure on the ASGSF, but the Government has not laid out how this will be achieved, leaving adoptive families very anxious that they will find it harder to access support. (Conclusion, Paragraph 94) 88