Kinship responds to announcement of Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) renewal

We were pleased to hear Janet Daby MP, Minister for Children and Families, confirm an investment of £50 million to renew the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) over 2025-26 in response to an urgent question in Parliament this afternoon. This news will come as welcome relief to all of those kinship families who were deeply concerned about their children losing access to vital therapeutic support.

However, we remain deeply frustrated that this clarity has only come after the fund had expired and after a lengthy period of unnecessary uncertainty. The absence of any information about the future of the fund has led to immense worry and stress among the kinship families we support and campaign alongside. And even with today’s welcome news, there will be significant ongoing repercussions for kinship families, local authorities and therapeutic providers.

In our last annual survey, 13% of kinship carers told us they were concerned about their ability to continue caring for their kinship children, with 3 quarters of this group highlighting challenges managing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties as the main reason. Having experienced significant trauma, separation and loss, high-quality therapeutic support can make an immeasurable difference to the lives of children in kinship care and those caring for them, helping them to heal and thrive into adulthood.

It is vital the government now works at pace to mitigate against the negative impacts of the delay and ensure that applications for therapeutic assessments and support can proceed as quickly as possible.

Beyond this, the government must use the forthcoming Spending Review to set out a long-term plan for the fund and how future reform in kinship care will deliver the therapeutic and emotional support which kinship families need. This should include consideration of extending the scope and eligibllity of the fund to a wider group of kinship families, including where children were not previously looked after, and bespoke support services which recognise the unique needs, strengths and experiences of those in kinship care arrangements.

The Minister confirmed that further information about the ASGSF in 2025-26 would be published and applications opened in the coming days. We will keep our Kinship Community and our wider networks updated as soon as we know more. In the interim, kinship carers are encouraged to view our advice pages on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and supporting children and young people with trauma.

For more on what’s happening now and what should happen next for therapeutic support for kinship families, please visit our kinship care policy tracker.