Fresh fears raised over future of adoption therapeutic services
Campaigners have expressed fears for the future of therapeutic adoption services under proposals announced by the government.
Funding for services under the ringfenced Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) has already been reduced from £5,000 annually per child to £3,000 last April.
Additional funding of £2,500 for specialist assessments has to now also come out of the reduced sum, representing a 60 per cent total cut.
Under new plans, ministers are considering devolving the ASGSF to local authorities or Regional Adoption Agencies to “enable more strategic commissioning of services”.
However, Adoption UK warns this removes ringfencing and risks further funding cuts by cash-strapped local agencies.
The proposal is among a package being consulted on to improve overall provision for adopted children, including a ten per cent increase in the ASGSF until 2028.
Emily Frith, chief executive of Adoption UK, said: “We welcome confirmation of funding for the ASGSF for the next two years.
“Nevertheless, we are deeply disappointed that the cuts made to the fund last year have not been reversed, and that that the only proposals put forward for the future of the ASGSF are to devolve funding rather than retain a central ringfenced fund.
“The postcode lottery in adoption support is already a serious concern, and devolving the ASGSF would create more inconsistency and reduce accountability.
“It is essential that ASGSF funding is ringfenced so that it doesn’t get swallowed up by other demands on local authority budgets.”
The charity’s annual barometer last year found 44 per cent of adoptive families in England are facing crisis due to increasing complexity of need and lack of support.
The barometer, based on 3,591 responses, also found 77 per cent of adoptive parents said post-adoptive support is hard to find.
Only 18 per cent of adult adoptees say they had access to appropriate counselling and therapeutic services.
Under the consultation proposals, adopted children entering secondary school will be given additional support from this September.
Pilots for improving mental health and specialist teams to include social workers will be tested in Regional Adoption Agencies.
Josh MacAlister, minister for children and families, said: “Our proposals build on what we know works, and I look forward to hearing from families and experts on how we can improve support further.”
Fostering reforms
Earlier this month the government also announced plans for a further 1,000 foster places by 2029 to reverse a 12 per cent drop in foster carers since 2019.
The £88 million package will include a recruitment campaign, funding for foster carers to expand their homes and a “simpler rulebook”.
The reforms also aim to reduce reliance on costly private residential care, often in other parts of the country far away from family and friends.
Speaking on BBC News, MacAlister said a modernised system with barriers to fostering removed much-needed: “The staggering thing is we don’t have a problem with people being interested in fostering – 150,000 people last year came forward and expressed an interest – but we only approved just over 7,000 of them.”
Lack of rights and security
One criticism by foster carers is that they are treated like independent contractors without job security and lack employment rights.
Because they are paid an allowance rather than a salary they can be hired and fired without recourse.
A tribunal case currently ongoing is attempting to challenge this, claiming they should be given the same rights as other council employees, including holiday and sick pay.