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Government announces reforms for adoptive and kinship care children
Today, the Government has extended support for adoptive and kinship care children and announced a consultation on future reforms.
Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) extension and budget increase
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) pays for a range of therapeutic support for adopted children and their adoptive family, and for children in kinship care who are subject to a special guardianship order (SGO) and child arrangement order (CAO) and were previously looked after in the care system. Today the Government announced that the ASGSF will continue for two more years to 2028. The ASGSF budget will also be increased by £5 million to £55 million for 2026 – 2027.
Consultation on proposals for reform of support for adoptive and kinship care children
The consultation seeks views on eight proposals for reform:
- Develop a baseline offer of parenting support and training at the point of adoption and kinship care.
- Strengthen peer and community support for adopted children and parents.
- Provide proactive support for adopted and kinship children at key life stages.
- Enhance plans to better meet children’s needs, setting clear expectations for families and services via Practice Guides.
- Standardise needs assessments for adopted and eligible kinship children. Commission social care, health, and education support based on their needs.
- Require clinical adoption support therapies to be compliant with NHS evidence standards. Ensure all interventions are well evidenced and assessed.
- Devolve Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund funding and responsibility to regional and/or local decision makers.
- Improving value for money to ensure every pound is being spent efficiently, sustainably, and on families.
Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive of Family Rights Group, said:
“Children raised in kinship care have often experienced tragedy and trauma and timely access to therapeutic support can make a crucial difference to their mental health and wellbeing.
“The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund is a critical lifeline for some kinship families, although the eligibility criteria leaves it out of reach to many more. The funding limits for individual children announced last year have constrained it even further.
“We welcome the Government’s guarantee that the Fund will continue over the next two years.
“The commitment to consult on a range of reforms to improve support, including developing a universal baseline offer for adoptive and kinship children at key life stages, is also positive.
“However, we are seriously concerned that the way these proposed reforms have largely been constructed means that children in kinship care remain an afterthought. An add-on to a system designed around adoption.
“It is also not clear which children in kinship care will be eligible to benefit from some of the proposed reforms. We are concerned that where a kinship carer has stepped in early, to prevent a child going into the care system, they will be excluded from benefiting from the reforms.”
“A huge amount of unmet needs is placing a strain on kinship families. All children are not currently supported to thrive. That can and must change.”
Melanie Onn MP, Chair of the APPG on Kinship Care said:
“The decision to extend the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for two more years, with £55 million confirmed for 2026–27, is positive for eligible families and a welcome shift after last year’s uncertainty.
“The Government has also set out proposals to improve the mental health and wellbeing of adopted and kinship children, many of whom have faced significant early adversity.
“Relatives and friends stepping in as kinship carers tell us how hard it is to secure therapy, counselling, and other support for the children. Too often, help is limited to children who have been in care, and when support is available, it can feel like a system not designed for kinship arrangements.
“We will scrutinise the proposals closely and continue working to ensure every child who needs therapeutic support can access it.”
Following the consultation, which runs until the 5th May, the Government say they will then set out an action plan later this year, including how it will deliver the proposed support.
View the consultation.
February 2026
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