Not-for-profit adoption agency and therapy centre voices ‘grave concerns’ to announcement of cuts to Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
A leading not-for-profit has responded with alarm to the announcement of cuts to government funding to support care-experienced children. Family Futures specialises in the assessment and treatment of such children who are traumatised or have attachment difficulties.
Photo by Caleb Woods / Unsplash
Many of these children are so traumatised that they cannot eat, sleep or trust a parent to care for them. Family Futures provides specialist, therapeutic care to address their complex needs. It also supports adoptive parents, special guardians, kinship carers and foster carers.
I should declare an interest here: in the past, I’ve been a direct beneficiary of such support from Family Futures. The team helped my own family through an extremely difficult period. But that work is now under serious threat.
The cuts include a reduction in the annual per-child limit from £5,000 to £3,000. According to Family Futures, this will almost halve the number of therapy sessions that children can attend each year, meaning less frequent and shorter-term therapy for children still recovering from trauma, abuse, and violence.
The government is also withdrawing the £2,500 allocation for specialist assessments, so these will now need to be funded within the reduced limit.
What’s more, the ASGSF will no longer ‘match fund’ support for children with an exceptional level of need. Until now, it provided 50% of the money, with the rest provided by the given local authority. This, says Family Futures, is of particular concern as match funding has been ‘a vital safety net for the highest-risk, most vulnerable children,’ and ensured urgent intervention.
Of course, many local authorities already face significant financial challenges, placing further pressure on available support. The fear is that reduced support will mean an increase in breakdowns of adoption and kinship placements.
Clare, a parent attending Family Futures with her daughters, says: ‘Therapy offers our daughters the best chance of recovering from past traumas, fulfilling their potential, and leading happy lives. What our family needs — specialist therapy —exists, and it works exceptionally well, but our access to it relies on ASGSF funding, and that is out of our control.’
Jay Vaughan MBE, CEO of Family Futures, adds: ‘These funding cuts will have direct and catastrophic consequences for vulnerable children and their families. Match funding has been a lifeline for the highest-risk cases, protecting traumatised children who are at the greatest risk of harm. We urge the government to reconsider these funding cuts and commit to preserving the long-term stability of placements through financial support that will enable children to recover from trauma and thrive.
‘This decision is a backward step. Unresolved trauma, parent or carer burnout and family instability do not save money. They lead to higher emotional and financial costs to society down the line. These changes also risk discouraging prospective adopters at a time when every effort should be made to support them in their vital role of caring for society’s most vulnerable children.
‘Therapy should be based on a holistic assessment of the child’s unique needs. Without this, how can we ensure that the money is being used effectively on the right therapeutic intervention?’
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