Written question asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 August 2026. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government whether their recent Adoption support that works for all consultation considered the long-term costs to the public purse of unmet therapeutic need among adopted children and children subject to special guardianship orders.

Answer

Recipient Average Costs per Financial Years

Financial Year	Average Recipient Request (1)	Average Recipient Award (2)
2022-23	£2,908.00	£2,908.00
2023-24	£3,044.00	£3,044.00
2024-25	£3,090.00	£3,090.00
2025-26	£2,537.00	£2,537.00

Application requests are made within the Fair Access Limit – we do not approve an amount different to the requested amount.

Local Authorities and Regional Adoption Agencies are responsible for submitting applications. The financial value of all applications submitted to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were below the £3,000 fair access limit. The department regularly reviews the costs per hour of therapy, and the number of hours of therapy per application. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies can top-up funding using their own resources.

The department is currently considering responses to its consultation on the future of Adoption Support, including the long-term effects of any changes made to adoption support.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL2468
Session: 2026-27
Grouped for answer: Yes
Subjects: Costs Public consultation Mental health services Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

Secondary information

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