This afternoon - 01 April - the government confirmed the first details of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for 2025/26. The fund - which pays for essential therapeutic services for adoptive and special guardianship order families in England - closed on 31 March.

Janet Darby MP - the Children's Minister - said that 'therapy which started in the last financial year can continue into 2025/26, even ahead of 2025/26 budget announcements' and that '£50 million has been allocated for the fund this year' with more details due to be announced in the House of Commons later this year.

The announcement came a day after the Fund closed for 2024/25.

There's currently no information on when the Fund will reopen to new applications, although the Minister said the government will open 'applications to families and children across our country as soon as we can'.

While this information will be a relief to many LGBTQ+ adoptive parents who rely on the fund, questions remain around the future of the fund beyond 2025/26. New Family Social supports calls for the Fund to be placed on a permanent basis to avoid the distress caused to vulnerable children and their families this uncertainty caused. 

Find out more:

BBC News

Community Care