Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of delaying the opening of the application window for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for 2027-28 on (a) eligible adopted and kinship children and young people’s access to support and (b) the ability of providers to deliver that support.

Applications for therapeutic support under the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) are now open, starting in the 2026/27 financial year and continuing into 2027/28. The ASGSF will continue in 2027/28 and an announcement will be made as soon as possible regarding when applications starting from April 2027 may be made.

In 2024/25, the ASGSF remained open throughout the multi-year Spending Review period until 31 March 2025. As funding beyond that date was subject to the outcome of the subsequent Spending Review, applications for support commencing on or after 1 April 2025 were temporarily paused pending confirmation of future funding arrangements. In 2025/26, the ASGSF opened for applications on 14 April 2025. In 2026/27, the ASGSF opened for applications on 10 February 2026.

The department recognises that delays to the opening of the ASGSF application window may create uncertainty for families and providers. Where urgent support is required, local authorities and regional adoption agencies may choose to self-fund support pending the opening of the application window.