Stepping up to raise a child can be expensive, and money worries are common for kinship carers. Find out what financial support and benefits are available to you.
Adoption and special guardianship support fund for kinship carers
Information about the adoption and special guardianship support fund for kinship carers.
This advice applies to: England and Wales
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What is the adoption and special guardianship support fund?
Some kinship carers can get financial support from the adoption and special guardianship support fund.
The fund can help you pay for essential therapeutic services, such as creative therapies or life story work.
Read government information on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)
Who is eligible?
Children who are eligible include those up to and including the age of 21, (or 25 with an education, health and care plan), who:
- were in the care of children’s services before a special guardianship order was made
- are under a residence order or child arrangements order and were previously looked after
- left the care of children’s services under a special guardianship order that was subsequently changed to an adoption order, or vice versa
- were previously looked after but where the special guardianship order, residency or child arrangements order placement has broken down, regardless of any reconciliation plans
Contact your local authority’s children’s services to ask if the child you care for is eligible. Find contact details by using Kinship Compass, our kinship support services finder.
What the fund pays for
You can use financial support from the adoption and special guardianship support fund to pay for:
- creative therapies, such as art, music, drama and play therapy
- extensive therapeutic life story work to help the young person understand and cope with their past trauma and difficulties
- family therapy to build attachment and improve the relationship between you and the child you care for
- psychotherapy (or talking therapy) for your child
- sensory integration therapy or sensory attachment therapy
- therapeutic parenting training for kinship carers
- therapeutic short breaks
It can also pay for specialist assessments that lead to a therapeutic support plan for your family. The assessments are carried out by qualified clinicians and should be focused on trauma and attachment.
The fund cannot be used to assess specific conditions unless they are part of a wider specialist assessment.
How to apply
Children’s services apply to the fund on your behalf. You can ask children’s services for an assessment. You may need to ask the adoption and permanence team, family and friends care designated officer, or a different department. If you are not sure who to ask, the social worker who helped you get the special guardianship order or child arrangements order may be able to help.
Children’s services should apply to the adoption and special guardianship support fund within 3 months of assessing you.
The children’s services department that placed the child with you is responsible for assessing your support needs for up to 3 years. After that, it becomes the responsibility of the children’s services department where you live.
How much will I get?
The adoption support fund has two limits:
- up to £2,500 per child per year for a specialist assessment
- up to £5,000 per child per year for therapy
If you are asking for funding above these limits, children’s services must confirm that it will match-fund any amount over the limit, and that:
- there is a high risk of your special guardianship order breaking down without the extra funding
- children’s services are dealing with an unusually high number of complex cases that it cannot afford to fund without additional support
- there is a lack of available, affordable therapeutic support, which means more funding is needed
How to appeal
You cannot contact the adoption and special guardianship support fund directly. If you disagree with children’s services’ assessment, you will need to go through its appeals process.
Once the assessment is complete, children’s services should tell you about the outcome in writing and must let you know how long you have to appeal the decision (28 days is recommended good practice).
Children’s services cannot make a final decision until the deadline for appealing has passed, or you have told them you are happy with the proposed decision.
Read government information on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)
Support from Kinship
Here at Kinship, we offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including workshops, online advice and information, and support groups.
To find services, information and support in your local area, including information about your local children’s services, use our Kinship Compass tool.
You can also contact the Kinship advice team for free, non-judgmental advice and information if you live in England or Wales.
Related advice and information
Information and advice on the types of financial support available to kinship carers with a special guardianship order.
Information on special guardianship orders for kinship carers, including how they work and available support.
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