Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund - will it be expanded?
There has been a lot of frustration within the world of Children’s Social Care about the sloth-like decision-making of the Department for Education. Two examples are the Family Rights Group helpline funding, which was delayed so long that precautionary redundancy notices had to be issued to staff; and the continued funding of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. It wasn’t until 1st April that continued funding for 2025-26 Financial Year was announced, the day after the previous year’s funding ended.
Our Trustee, Stuart Black, spoke to the Children’s Minister, Janet Daby on 4th March at the Kinship Care Alliance meeting, and urged government to think about how to address the unfairness in access to this scheme. It is unfair that only children who have been in care qualify; the children looked after by kinship carers who step in before the state has to, to become children’s Special Guardian, should not be penalised for doing so by being deprived of the benefits that previously looked after children get. This includes priority in school places, access to this fund, and receipt of Pupil Premium Plus by schools.
The full announcement is here. There were some hints in the Minister’s statement that suggested that expansion may be being considered. It isn’t clear if this is expansion in eligibility, or expansion in scope of therapies offered, or just a slip of the tongue.
The Minister said:
Later on though, the Minister said:
Hopefully all will become clear in the coming weeks.
You may be interested to thank your MP if they spoke - the 26 other MPs who asked questions on the topic are:
Munira Wilson, Twickenham (email this MP)
Rachael Maskell, York Central (email this MP)
Laura Trott, Sevenoaks (email this MP)Sevenoaks
Ruth Cadbury, Brentford and Isleworth (email this MP)
Greg Smith, Mid Buckinghamshire (email this MP)
Grahame Morris, Easington (email this MP)
Lisa Smart, Hazel Grove (email this MP)
Melanie Onn, Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (email this MP)
Bradley Thomas, Bromsgrove (email this MP)
Chris Vince, Harlow (email this MP)
Jess Brown-Fuller, Chichester (email this MP)
Josh Fenton-Glynn, Calder Valley (email this MP)
Steve Darling, Torbay (email this MP)
Alice Macdonald, Norwich North (email this MP)
Carla Lockhart, Upper Bann (email this MP)
Gareth Snell, Stoke-on-Trent Central (email this MP)
Alison Bennett, Mid Sussex (email this MP)
Josh Newbury, Cannock Chase (email this MP)
Julia Lopez, Hornchurch and Upminster (email this MP)
Steff Aquarone, North Norfolk (email this MP)
Sarah Dyke, Glastonbury and Somerton (email this MP)
John Milne, Horsham (email this MP)
Monica Harding, Esher and Walton (email this MP)
Tom Gordon, Harrogate and Knaresborough (email this MP)
Calum Miller, [Party not specified] (email this MP)
Jim Shannon, Strangford (email this MP)
Family Support Group
5 April 2025