Government announces new funding to promote and support adoption
3 March 2022The government today announced a new £160million funding boost to help recruit and support adoptive families over the next three years. The investment includes £144 million for the Adoption Support Fund and a pledge to provide “additional support including cognitive therapy, family support sessions and activities to help children recover from earlier traumas like abuse or neglect, helping them settle into their new families and homes”.
The new funding also includes £19.5 million to strengthen the work of Regional Adoption Agencies, to “improve national matching between parents and children, and focus on recruitment of prospective adopters from all communities so make sure they are not deterred from the idea of adoption because of their background”.
New figures from The Department for Education (DfE) published today to coincide with the announcement include the following information:
- A 23% increase in the number of families approved to adopt, from 1,930 in September 2020 to 2,370 at September 2021.
- 3,700 children left care under a permanence order between April-September 2021-22 – either through an adoption or a Special Guardianship Order – an increase of 31% on the previous year.
- The number of children waiting longer than 18 months to be adopted has dropped, despite the challenges faced by the care sector during the pandemic.
Evaluation reports have also reflected on how post-adoption support, facilitated by the Adoption Support Fund, is helping families.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said:
“The importance of a loving, stable family cannot be overstated, no matter what shape it takes. Family are crucial in giving children the warmth, background and opportunities they need to succeed in life”.
You can read the full statement from the DfE here.
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