ASGSF: Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund update

The Adoption Support Fund was set up in 2015 to help adoptive families access therapeutic support and specialist assessments. This became the ASGSF when the funding was extended to include special guardian families whose children had previously been looked after.

The Government has announced four changes to the ASGSF for 2025-2026:

• The £5,000 fair access limit (FAL) for the cost of therapy provided each year has been reduced to £3,000.
• The ASGSF will no longer match fund more expensive support packages above this limit. It previously contributed 50% of the cost of annual therapy up to a maximum of £30,000 for cases that were higher risk or met other specified criteria, with councils funding the rest.
• Families will no longer be able to benefit from a separate allowance of £2,500 to fund specialist assessments over and above any funding for therapy. The limit for specialist assessments remains at £2,500 but there is no longer a separate FAL for this. The £2,500 will be taken out of the £3,000 limit.
• Children and families can no longer receive support across financial years, meaning all therapy packages or assessments funded through the ASGSF in 2025-26 will have to be completed by 31 March 2026.

Applications are now open but delays are likely due to a backlog in processing applications.

Adoption UK have a helpful Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) Q&A which covers questions about applications to the fund.