Charities working with adoptive and kinship families urge government to reverse funding decision

A coalition of organisations working to support adoptive and kinship families have written to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education expressing their ‘deep concern and dismay’ about the government’s recent announcement to reduce the support available to them through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).

The letter claims that the decision taken to cut the individual support available to each child by 40% will have a direct impact on the futures of thousands of children and young adults and that it has caused widespread distress and anger amongst affected families.

They believe the move to be economically short-sighted with the decision acting to increase the pressure on other already-overstretched services within the NHS and elsewhere.

The charities finish the letter by urging the government to reconsider this decision which, they say, was made ‘without consultation with sector organisations or adoptive and kinship families, including your department’s own national reference groups for adoptive parents and kinship carers’.