Mum 'deserted' over adopted children's therapy cuts

A mum has said she feels "deserted" by the government over funding cuts for therapy for vulnerable adopted children.

Kate, from Southampton, adopted two boys with her partner in 2014 and 2017.

But she said changes to the adoption and special guardianship support fund - which has seen funding parents can access reduced by 40% -, were "outrageous".

The Department for Education (DfE) said it would mean more children would be able to access support.

Last year, each eligible child could access £5,000 for therapy, but that limit has been cut to £3,000 per year, while separate funding for specialist assessment has been axed.

The future of the fund had been in doubt, until at the last minute in April when the government confirmed it would continue for the 2025/26 financial year.

Kate, whose surname we are choosing not to reveal, has two adopted boys with complex needs.

She said access to the scheme for therapy had enabled her family to stay together.

"We've had different periods of home life where things have been very challenging with child-on-parent violence and children really struggling to be in a family unit," she said.

"The fund has enabled us to access specialist support to enable myself and my partner to keep parenting and for the children to start the process of settling within our family."

Campaigners fear the cuts will mean vital therapy sessions come to an abrupt end for some children if the money runs out and their families cannot afford to plug the gap.

Kate said: "We need to consider self-funding for one of our children, if we can.

"With our other child, who's waiting for an assessment, we're just having to wait, so he's left without."

She added: "I think it's got disaster written all over it."

Almost 20,000 children in England received support through the adoption and special guardianship support fund last year, up from about 13,000 in 2019/20.

Southampton-based clinical psychologist, Dr Ruth Denton, said the reduction in funding would mean children may have fewer therapy sessions.

"Previously they were able to access a year's worth of therapeutic intervention, to build a relationship with a therapist who they trust and who made them feel safe", she said.

"Now with the cuts, it means lots of children are looking at half a year's worth of access to therapy which undermines the entire purpose of those interventions."

She felt the cuts reflected a lack of understanding about the needs of adopted children.

"There's high anxiety [among parents] about the impact of having to stop therapy prematurely, that they might lose connection with their child and things will go backwards."

Clare from Berkshire has two adopted children who receive therapy support from the fund.

At the weekend she delivered a petition of over 15,600 signatures she set up to Downing Street calling for the cuts to be reversed.

Clare said she needed to access the fund when her children were about four.

"My children are incredible... it's been an amazing experience but not one without its challenges," she said.

"We were desperately trying to get the children help – but it's really not easy accessing therapy."

She said getting the therapeutic support was "a lifeline for us... it's really transformed our lives, but we're only part-way through the journey and really need the therapy to continue."

Some charities have criticised the government for reducing the amount of funding parents can access.

Emily Frith, CEO of Oxfordshire-based Adoption UK, said the changes would affect many families who are struggling to support children going through trauma.

"The children have experienced such a difficult start in life, they often find it difficult to regulate their emotions and that can come across as challenging behaviour", she said.

"It puts families at breaking point often, and that's why there's both a moral and economic case for the government to make sure this therapy is in place."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We are increasing investment to £50m for the adoption and special guardianship support fund to continue for another year.

"The decisions we have taken will ensure the fund is financially sustainable to allow more vulnerable children to access targeted support and thrive in adoptive and kinship families."

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