Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support the Department is providing to families of children affected by trauma; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the Adoption Support Fund (ASGSF) on individuals that would benefit from that Fund.

The Department of Health and Social Care provides support through funding a range of health services, including targeted services, that can support children who are affected by physical and mental trauma.

For example, in December 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced a three-year pilot project to improve mental health support for children in care and their families. “Adoption support that works for all”, published in February, confirmed that this pilot will be designed so that it includes support for adoptive families.

The Department for Education revised criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) in April 2025 to ensure support for all those applying for ASGSF funding. An equalities impact assessment was published in July 2025. My Hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, recently announced the continuation of the ASGSF for 2026 to 2028, and a consultation on the longer-term future of adoption support, including a call for evidence on what works for children and families.