Money made available to the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) launched in May will increase next year, the Department for Education has said.
The Fund was established in £19 million in funding to help councils pay for a range of therapies and support to help adopted children settle into lives with new families, as many suffer emotional harm while living with neglectful or abusive parents.
To date, around 2,000 children have benefitted from the funding and the Department for Education has now indicated to the charity Adoption UK that the ASF budget will be increased in 2016-17.
Adoption UK Chief Executive Hugh Thornbery said the news would come as a relief to many who had found the ASF invaluable:
“I am obviously delighted that the government will continue to provide funding for the Adoption Support Fund into 2016 – and that it will be even more than the £19m received last year. This is really reassuring news for many adoptive parents and local authorities who have no doubt been incredibly anxious about the future funding of the ASF.”
He added:
“Last year’s funding for the ASF has proved to be a life-line for many adopters struggling to secure the therapeutic support needed for their children.”
An announcement detailing the exact amount of the increase is expected in the New Year.
