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Written question asked by Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Adoption: Mental Health Services

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has undertaken a review of the regulations and guidance in relation to families privately funding continuation of therapeutic services previously accessed through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Answer

The current timetable is for the government's response to the consultation on Adoption Support to be published in the autumn.

In relation to self-funded support, adoptive parents may commission services directly, provided that the organisation delivering those services is registered with Ofsted. For children living under kinship care arrangements, families may self-fund support from any provider and there is no requirement for that provider to be registered with Ofsted. As always, there is the option for local authorities or regional adoption agencies to ‘top-up’ the Fair Access Limit from their own funds.

Financial Year

Applications Approved

Rejected Applications

2023/24

19,495

1

2024/25

20,085

0

2025/26

20,000

0

Note: There were no applications partially approved.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17090
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Adoption Mental health services
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk