Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
(asked on 21st July 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the (1) average amount requested by applicants, and (2) average amount awarded to applicants through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in each financial year since 2022-23.
Recipient Average Costs per Financial Years
Financial Year | Average Recipient Request (1) | Average Recipient Award (2) |
2022-23 | £2,908.00 | £2,908.00 |
2023-24 | £3,044.00 | £3,044.00 |
2024-25 | £3,090.00 | £3,090.00 |
2025-26 | £2,537.00 | £2,537.00 |
Application requests are made within the Fair Access Limit – we do not approve an amount different to the requested amount.
Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies are responsible for submitting applications. The financial value of all applications submitted to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were below the £3,000 fair access limit. The department regularly reviews the costs per hour of therapy, and the number of hours of therapy per application. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies can top-up funding using their own resources.
The department is currently considering responses to its consultation on the future of Adoption Support, including the long-term effects of any changes made to adoption support.