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Adoption support

A child needs your support and you will always have ours

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

Changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship (ASGSF) were announced on 14 April 2025. In 2025 - 2026, in order to maximise the number of children who are able to access this fund, the overall Fair Access Limit (FAL) is now set at £3,000. This remains eligible to those families who are assessed as being in need of this level of adoption support.

Funding will no longer be available from a separate FAL for specialist assessments. However, specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 will be considered for funding, but only within the overall FAL of £3,000 therefore up to £500 would be available for the intervention.

Funding will no longer be able to offer match funding applications for therapy which costs more than the £3,000 FAL, or for specialist assessments which cost more than £2,500.

The recent changes to the ASGSF are involving some significant adjustments in how we operate so please bear with us whilst our services adjust to accommodate these changes. However, if you are in need of adoption support please still get in touch. We will continue to offer a robust and child focused service.

Our children have had difficult early lives which can often prove challenging for both themselves and their adoptive parents. They may well have experienced trauma and loss which will impact upon their later emotional development and behaviour. It’s why we encourage adoptive parents to seek Adoption Support as a normal part of the adoption journey.

Parenting is a life-long challenge, and we offer support at every stage including adopter training, adopter lead support groups, parenting programmes, therapeutic parenting groups and face to face stay & play groups.

More comprehensive packages of support are available following an adoption support assessment and can involve individual or family work, specialist assessments, signposting, and access to the adoption support fund.

Support groups

There is a combination of virtual and face-to-face support on offer to adoptive families across Adopt East.

This includes support groups for LGBTQ+ families, single adopters, families with children with special/additional needs, black adopters support group, a variety of peer-led support groups and youth groups for adoptive teens.

There is also ongoing training on offer as well as therapeutic support programmes that can be accessed.

Contact your local adoption agency for adoption support