Further update regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund

Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Further update regarding the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund

As announced on 1 April, the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will be continuing from April 2025, with a budget of £50m.

Demand for support from the ASGSF continues to grow significantly. In 2025-26, to maximise the number of children who can access this fund, the ASGSF have had to make the difficult decision to set the overall Fair Access Limit (FAL) at £3,000.

There will no longer be a separate FAL for specialist assessments. However, specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 will be considered for funding, but only within the overall FAL of £3,000.

This is a significant change, but it is being made to ensure that the funding can continue to support as many families as possible. The Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund will still enable those eligible to access a significant package of therapeutic support, tailored to meet their individual needs.

Here at AEM we will be reviewing all applications prepared in advance of these changes and any which exceed the new restrictions will need to be amended before submission. We will be contacting providers in the next few days to discuss and amend proposed packages of support and we will then be in touch with you individually. All new packages will require your consent in the light of the new fair access limits.

The ASGSF will honour applications already approved, where these have continued from 2024-25 to 2025-26 under transitional split funding arrangements.

Future funding will be subject to Government Spending Review decisions. As a result, the ASGSF will only be able to consider applications where the therapy or specialist assessment will be fully completed before the end of March 2026.

We recognise the anxiety these changes will bring and the inevitable further delay to getting much needed therapy packages in place. We will be working as fast as we can and we thank you for your patience and support.

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