Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of cases in which social workers or local authorities have decided not to apply to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for a child or young person with complex needs because the funding available would be insufficient to meet their assessed therapeutic needs.

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) continues to provide adopted and kinship children with a high standard of tailored therapeutic support. The government has increased the fund's budget by 10%, from £50 million to £55 million. Since its introduction, the fund has helped nearly 61,000 children access the support they need, strengthening family relationships and helping to prevent family breakdown. Where a child's assessed needs require additional support, local authorities and regional adoption agencies can use their own funding to provide therapy beyond that funded through the ASGSF and should make decisions in line with individual assessments. It is for local authorities to determine their own resourcing priorities, but the Families First Programme guidance is clear that adoptive families are eligible to access Family Help support.

The department does not hold information on applications that local authorities have decided not to submit, nor their reasons for this decision. Similarly, the department is unable to monitor any unmet need within local areas. The department has no plans to introduce exceptional funding for children and young people whose needs cannot be met within the Fair Access Limit.