Response to Changes to The Adoption & Special Guardiandship Support Fund (ASGSF)

Euan Preston
Apr 19
2 min read

Updated: Apr 21

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is a vital source of therapeutic support for some of our most vulnerable children, teenagers and young adults. For many families, ASGSF funded therapy is the only source of effective therapeutic intervention.

Following uncertainty regarding the continuation of the fund, which caused distress and anxiety to thousands of families across England, the government announced on 14 April that the Fair Access Limit (FAL), representing the amount of funding available per child, would be slashed.

Prior to 31 March, the funding available stood at £5,000 per child per year, with an additional £2,500 ring fenced specifically for specialist assessment and diagnosis. Additionally, a fund of up to £15,000 per child per year was available for those with the highest level of need, provided local authorities matched the funding.

However, following the announcement on 14 April, the Fair Access Limit has been reduced to £3,000 per year, and the additional £2,500 ring-fenced funding for specialist assessments has been abolished. Assessments must now be funded from within the £3,000 limit. This represents a 60% decrease in available support during the first year. Furthermore, the matched fund has also been abolished, leaving families caring for children, young people and young adults with the greatest need without essential resources.

The government claims these changes will increase access to the fund, but the reality is that effective interventions will now no longer be accessible to many of our most vulnerable children and young people.

Adoption charities and expert professionals have expressed shock and disappointment at this decision, which we believe to be short-sighted, and which appears to have been made without meaningful consultation or evidence.

This move risks wasting significant amounts of public money on lower-cost treatments that are ineffective, while children and young adults lose the crucial, effective therapy they desperately need. Ultimately, it will cost the public purse more, as families, children, and young adults experience crises due to the lack of timely treatment and intervention.

Hundreds of Potato Group families' children and young people have benefited from specialist therapy funded through the ASGSF. Its positive impact is tangible, with parents describing it as a lifeline.

It is vital that the government reverses these changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund immediately. Moreover, the lifelong impact of our children’s adverse childhood experiences demands a permanent commitment to effective therapeutic services. Year-to-year uncertainty creates significant anxiety and makes long-term treatment planning impossible.

Euan Preston

Chair, The Potato Group