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Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF)

  • The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) helps eligible families access therapeutic services that support children and young people who have experienced trauma, loss, neglect or abuse. The fund enables local authorities and regional adoption agencies to access funding for therapeutic interventions that can improve children’s emotional wellbeing, relationships and long-term outcomes.

    The Department for Education confirmed funding of the ASGSF for 2026 to 2027, with support continuing into 2027 to 2028. Adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) - GOV.UK

    The ASGSF is available for children and young people living in England up to and including the age of 21 (or 25 if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan) who:

    • are living with a family in England whilst waiting for adoption;
    • were adopted from local authority care in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and live in England;
    • were adopted from overseas and have recognised adoption status in England;
    • were in care before a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) was made;
    • left care under an SGO that was subsequently changed to an Adoption Order, or vice versa;
    • are subject to a Child Arrangements Order (CAO) or Residency Order and were previously looked after;
    • were previously looked after but where an adoption, special guardianship, residency or CAO placement has broken down. 

    Families cannot apply directly to the fund. An assessment of support needs must first be completed by the relevant local authority or regional adoption agency. Where therapeutic support is identified as beneficial, an application for funding can then be made on the family's behalf. 

    Further information for special guardians is available from the Family Rights Group

You will need to have an assessment of your family’s support needs by the Local Authority. This is a current legal obligation of all local authorities.

The Local Authority that placed your child with you is responsible for assessing your adoption support needs for three years after the adoption order is complete. After three years it becomes the responsibility of the Local Authority where you live (if different).

Where the assessment identifies that therapeutic services would be beneficial to your family, the local authority will apply to the Fund on your behalf, who will then release funding to the local authority.

The Local Authority social worker will be expected to talk to you about who can provide the types of service that you need and which provider you would prefer.

For children placed in Peterborough: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Adoption will be able to support you. They are available via AdoptionandSGO.SupportDuty@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or (01480) 379679.

The Fund will provide money to the Local Authority to fund a range of therapeutic services.​

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) provides funding for therapeutic support and specialist assessments for eligible children and young people. Funding arrangements are set annually by the Department for Education and applications are made by local authorities or Regional Adoption Agencies following an assessment of support needs. Families should check the latest guidance for current funding limits and eligibility criteria.

The therapies funded are those identified to help achieve the following positive outcomes for you and your child:​

  • Improved relationships with friends, family members, teachers and school staff​
  • Improved engagement with learning​
  • Improved emotional regulation and behaviour management​
  • Improved confidence and ability to enjoy a positive family life and social relationships. ​

To achieve these outcomes the Fund will pay for therapeutic support and services including but not restricted to:​

Specialist Assessment that meets all of the criteria below:​

  • An in-depth assessment of the child and family’s needs with a focus on trauma and attachment, and how this demonstrates the links to the assessment of support needs.​
  • Led and undertaken by a qualified clinician(s).​
  • For the purposes of the ASGSF, a qualified clinician would be someone who diagnoses and treats patients; is suitably qualified and is licensed to practice via a regulator such as the Health and Care Professional Council e.g. a trained Clinical Psychologist or Attachment Psychotherapist.​
  • Result in a therapeutic support plan for the child(ren) / family.

The following are not in scope of the Fund:​

  • Standalone assessments for single conditions, e.g. ADHD, FASD, autism, sensory integration, unless they are part of a wider specialist assessment which meets the criteria for the Specialist Assessment FAL i.e. are in depth, covering trauma and attachment, led and undertaken by a qualified clinician and resulting in a therapeutic support plan.​
  • Standalone specialist assessments, including any baselining specialist assessments, are also out of scope of the Therapy Fair Access Limit.​
  • A general social work assessment of adoption/SGO support needs remains the responsibility of the local authority/regional adoption agency.​

The ASGSF will also not pay for:​

  • Support for physical medical conditions​
  • Speech and language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other universal health services.​
  • Education support​
  • Membership of clubs and organisations​
  • Legal support​
  • Support provided by private sector and third sector organisations that are not Ofsted regulated unless commissioned through Local Authorities​
  • Training of staff​
  • Support not delivered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland​
  • Animal, pet or equine therapy​
  • Ex- Local authority (associate) social workers​

Local Authorities should already be providing the following under their adoption support services:​

  • Information, advice, guidance and signposting​
  • Counselling​
  • Opportunities for adoptive parents to interact (e.g. support groups, family days)​
  • Mediation of contact with birth families​
  • Mediation services when an adoptive family is at risk of disruption​
  • Financial support​
  • Basic Life story work​
  • Short break care where no therapeutic input is provided
  •  

Useful links and websites

Further Financial Support

Financial support available under a special guardianship order leaflet168KB–pdf
Size: 168KBFile format: pdf
Financial support available under an aoption order leaflet166KB–pdf
Size: 166KBFile format: pdf
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