Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent from the Adoption Support Fund in each of the previous five financial years.
The Adoption Support Fund budget and spend, as of 2 April 2021, is set out below. The spend includes funding for successful applications, contractual costs for the management and independent evaluation of the fund.
Year | Budget | Spend |
2016-17 | £23,925,000 | £23,900,624 |
2017-18 | £29,000,000 | £28,736,661 |
2018-19 | £37,000,000 | £36,697,988 |
2019-20 | £42,000,000 | £44,533,244 |
2020-21 | £45,000,000 | £51,164,542 |
There are currently no plans to change the fund’s eligibility criteria. The next Spending Review for government departmental spend beyond the financial year of 2021-22 will consider the Adoption Support Fund and its budget, scope and eligibility criteria. We have put in place transitionary arrangements in advance of the Spending Review outcome to allow funded support to continue beyond March 2022 for those families who commence therapy in the 2021-22 financial year.