- Adoption Support Fund: Enhancing Therapeutic Services for Adopted Children

- The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) aims to bridge the gap in therapeutic services between adopted children and those under special guardianship orders, ultimately improving outcomes for young individuals and families. Through funding creative therapies, family therapy, and specialized assessments, the program supports children up to the age of 21 (or 25 with an EHC plan) who have been adopted or are in care. Various initiatives and funding milestones have marked the ASF's journey, highlighting its commitment to providing essential support for vulnerable children.

• - Adoption Support Fund
• Therapeutic Services
• Adopted Children
• Family Therapy

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1. ADOPTION SUPPORT FUND ADOPTION SUPPORT FUND Vas Patel Department for Education

2. Aims of the ASF Aims of the ASF To reduce the gap between adoptive children and SGO children who were previously in care needing therapeutic services and receiving them (ultimately to improve outcomes for young people and families) Alongside this: Improve the core offer that LAs/RAAs and VAAs provide Improve assessments of need for adoption/SGO support Build the evidence base for interventions Changing behaviour in LAs/RAAs Built around the legislative framework where LAs/RAAs remain responsible for core support and assessments of need. They apply to the fund when therapeutic services are identified as needed 2

3. Autumn 2017 Initial Evaluation published (Aug) Centres of Excellence projects grants released (Oct) ASF journey to date Summer 2018 New online application process launched Second long term evaluation commences Oct 2016 Introduction of 5k Fair Access Limit (FAL) and matched funding approach June 2014 Design phase and first money to parents Dec 2018 Extra 12m to ASF to 2020 Feb 2019 100m released Mar 2019 Transitionary funding for 2020- 21 announced Oct/Dec 2019 Funding for 2020- 21 confirmed ( 45m) April 2017 New Specialist Assessment of 2.5k introduced Jan/April 2016 Scope extensions to age and SGOs/Intercountry children Oct 2013 ASF AnnouncedL May 2015 National roll out

4. Scope and Eligibility Scope and Eligibility Who is eligible? What can be funded? Creative therapies Therapeutic Life Story work Family therapy More complex specialist assessments Multi-disciplinary packages of support Psychotherapy Therapeutic parenting Therapy when provided as part of a short break, course or package Children up to and including the age of 21, or 25 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, who: are living (placed) with a family for adoption in England were adopted from local authority care in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and live in England were adopted from abroad and live in England with a recognised adoption status were in care immediately before an SGO is made left care under a special guardianship order which subsequently was changed to an adoption order, or vice versa are in care and have a child arrangement order (CAO) to assess a potential special guardian before the SGO is made

5. How does the ASF work? How does the ASF work? ASF decision within 20 working days. Applications over 5k (Therapy) or 2.5k (Assessment) per child or 20k in total sent to DfE for approval Commissions provider and funds support Internal or external provider of support Adoption Support Fund LA/RAA Funds released Unused funds returned Support provided to adoptive/SGO families Family and LA/RAA agree needs and provider of support Application by LA/RAA to ASF within 3 months of assessment LA /RAA assessment of support needs statutory responsibility for conducting assessment of support needs sits with LAs/RAAs

6. Examples Examples Group application to fund a 6 day package of therapeutic parenting for 10 families Package of a child for therapy including costs for Initial Consultation Meeting with parents and social worker, Parent assessment, File Reading, Therapeutic parenting, Sessional therapy including dyadic attachment based therapy, creative therapies and EMDR and end therapy review with SW and family Match funding mixture of therapeutic parenting with the guardian, direct therapy with the child and family therapy together. ASF contributed 16k and LA provided 7.5k

7. Policy Development Policy Development LA/RAA User group email me for more information ASF Knowledge Hub https://khub.net/group/adoption-support-fund ASF leaflet for SGO carers in development with Grandparents Plus and Family Rights Group Evaluations showing positive impact of the Fund https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/evaluations-of-the-adoption- support-fund-asf The Cross-Party Parliamentary Task Force on Kinship Care - due to publish their report (with recommendations) soon which will help inform DfE work on improving support for kinship carers. https://www.frg.org.uk/involving- families/family-and-friends-carers/cross-party-parliamentary-taskforce-on- kinship-care National Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board https://coram- i.org.uk/asglb/