Launch of ASGSF Consultation

“Adoption Support that Works for All – Reimagining Adoption and Kinship Support for the Future”

The government consultation is available to read and respond to here.

On 10^th February, the government confirmed that the ASGSF will continue until March 2028, with a 10% budget increase in 2026–27 to £55 million, which is both excellent pieces of news. The consultation aims to make the “system of support better, fairer, and more efficient”, and sets out 8 reform options for families and the sector to comment on. CCS Adoption would strongly urge all adopters and adoptees to complete this consultation, so that every effort is made to positively influence the next set of decisions that the DFE will be making about the future of Adoption and Kinship Support.
The press release issued by the Department for Education is available to read here.

There is no plan to reverse recent cuts made in April 2025, which, although deeply disappointing, is also not surprising. Therefore, the Fair Access Limit remains at £3,000 per child per year, and there will be no separate assessment fund or match funding. CCS families can continue to access a range of services from our Therapeutic Service.

Alongside this, the government has signalled that major reforms are on the way, and that the current ASGSF is likely to end in 2028. We also expect to see the expansion of the Adoption England multidisciplinary pilots, as well as a new parent-support offer for families whose children are approaching secondary school.

In England, 22% of adopted children are placed through Voluntary Adoption Agencies (like CCS Adoption), often chosen because of our commitment and ability to provide high-quality long-term support. CCS is concerned, however, that the consultation’s proposals focus mainly on early, statutory support, with limited attention to the specialist therapeutic services needed by children with complex histories. We know from talking to adopters every single day that many (not just a few) adoption families will need skilled therapeutic support at some point in their journey.

While early support is vital, we wouldn’t want the adoption support reforms to naively suggest that the provision of universal and early services is going to alleviate the essential need for individual therapeutic support for many families. CCS also provides a range of adoption support groups, holiday activities and links to wonderful peer support groups run by ITAV, but that doesn’t take away from many families’ needs for therapeutic input.

Our Response

CCS will be carefully responding to this consultation and will be highlighting the following points:

— How will the DfE guarantee fair access to adoption support for VAA families, especially if funding is given to RAAs to deliver these services?

— What action will the DfE take to address the shortage of psychologists and therapists for adoptive families, and the damaging impact ASGSF cuts have already had on this workforce?

— Will VAA social workers, who know these families best, be allowed to complete assessments of need, instead of relying on RAAs with no existing relationship, which can create long delays?

— What is being done to tackle the chronic lack of CAMHS capacity? Will families lose access to tailored therapeutic packages and be forced to rely solely on CAMHS, reducing their choice of specialist support for complex trauma?

— Will there be a fair, transparent process for deciding which organisations deliver adoption support, including meaningful opportunities for VAAs to do this, as they have decades of specialist expertise?

— We have many more questions, and I’m sure you do too. Please take the time to complete the consultation and have your say.

Emma Simpson, CEO

Have Your Say