Adoption Support Consultation Launched as Government Sets Out Plans for Post-2028 Reform
- Euan Preston
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By Euan Preston, Chair, The POTATO Group
Today the Department for Education launched a wide-ranging consultation on the future of post-adoption and kinship support in England, alongside confirmation of per-child funding levels for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).
While the continuation of the ASGSF provides short-term stability, the consultation is the more significant development. It sets out the government’s proposals for reforming adoption and eligible kinship support, with changes expected to take effect from 2028.
Yesterday, I met with the DfE’s Head of Adoption, Gladys Mugugu, and Deputy Director Emma Davies, to discuss both the immediate funding position and the consultation process.
ASGSF Funding
Following an extended period of uncertainty, the Treasury has increased the overall ASGSF allocation from £50m to £55m for 2026/27, a 10% uplift. The government has also confirmed that the fund will continue until March 2028, aligning with the current Spending Review period.
This brings welcome short-term stability for families and providers while the consultation is carried out and proposals are developed. However, adjusted for inflation, this represents a modest increase rather than a return to previous funding levels.
Taken together, the proposals point to the ASGSF coming to an end in 2028, with the consultation determining what replaces it rather than continuing the fund in its current form.
Fair Access Limit Remains Reduced
The Fair Access Limit (FAL) remains at £3,000 per child, unchanged from 2024/25 and reduced from the pre-April 2025 level of £5,000. The ring-fenced funding previously available for specialist assessments has not been reinstated, nor has the matched funding that supported children with the highest levels of need.
The Potato Group stands with families who continue to call for a return to those previous funding levels.
In 2025, Action Against ASGSF Changes, the campaign group that led calls to reverse the cuts, carried out a national survey of adoptive parents, special guardians and kinship carers to assess the impact of the reduced per-child funding limits. Drawing on responses from 469 families, representing 777 children and young people across England, the survey showed that the reduction in funding did not result in a small reduction in support. For many families, therapy could not proceed at all, assessments were delayed or abandoned, or support stopped abruptly once funding ran out.
Families reported worsening mental health, increased risk behaviours, deteriorating school engagement and rising pressure at home as a direct result of the funding reductions. These patterns mirror what The Potato Group’s 2025 research into the lived experiences of families raising traumatised adopted teenagers and young adults has shown over time: when support is delayed, disrupted or withdrawn, difficulties escalate.
It is notable that this evidence gathering was driven by the community. The consultation document acknowledges that when support is late, fragmented or inconsistent, difficulties escalate and stability is put at risk, but it was families and providers who documented the immediate harm when the funding limits changed.
There is also real concern about what continuation at current levels means for the community of providers delivering ASGSF-funded therapy. Many are already operating under strain. Prolonged uncertainty, combined with lower per-child funding, risks further destabilising a provider landscape that families rely on. It remains unclear what this period of reform will mean for providers beyond 2028.
Ministerial Statement to Parliament
Alongside the launch of the consultation, the Minister for Children and Families, Josh MacAlister MP, made a written statement to Parliament confirming the extension of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to March 2028 and the increase in funding to £55m for 2026/27. The statement also references the consultation in the context of wider children’s social care reform and outlines a number of initiatives the Department intends to progress during this period.
The Consultation: Scope and Process
The Adoption support that works for all consultation will run for 12 weeks and invites responses from adoptees, families, practitioners, education, health and community organisations. We strongly encourage all of our members and the wider adoption community to take part. The consultation sets out eight proposals which, taken together, signal a move away from a centrally administered, reactive fund towards a more standardised, locally led system of support. These include:
a baseline parenting support offer at the point of adoption or eligible kinship arrangement
strengthened peer and community support
proactive intervention at predictable stress points, starting with the transition to secondary school
standardised needs assessments aligned with evidence frameworks
closer integration between social care, health and education
and the potential devolution of funding and commissioning responsibilities to regional or local structures by 2028.
During discussions yesterday, it was clear that aspects of the consultation process are still being finalised. The roundtable programme remains in draft, with decisions about participation and structure yet to be confirmed. Analysis of responses and the development of proposals will sit within the Department, rather than being independently commissioned, which makes transparency around process and decision-making particularly important.
How evidence is gathered, weighted and interpreted will shape what replaces the ASGSF.
The Department has indicated that children and young people’s voices will be included, including through a survey specifically for children and young people. While this is welcome in principle, careful attention will be needed to ensure that consultation methods do not inadvertently exclude those with the highest levels of need. Many children, teenagers and young adults struggle to engage with standard consultation tools, and some needs can directly affect how responses are given. These factors must be accounted for if the findings are to reflect lived reality.
Looking Ahead
The extension of the ASGSF to March 2028 provides a period of relative stability. The consultation will determine what follows.
The Potato Group will continue to engage constructively, stand alongside families calling for adequate and proportionate funding, and pay close attention to how proposals are developed and tested. Our focus remains on ensuring that future arrangements meet the real needs of children and families, are grounded in evidence, and reflect lived experience from across the adoption community.
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