Blog: A devolved ASGSF risks loss of fairness and transparency for children

In recent weeks the Department for Education has been exploring the possibility of devolving the ASGSF to Regional Adoption Agencies, potentially via Adoption England. This question mark over the future of the ASGSF has cast a dark cloud of uncertainty over adoptive families who are unsure whether vital therapeutic support for their children will be available beyond March 2026. It follows a turbulent 2025 so far, marked by delayed funding announcements, freezing of the fund, and damaging cuts to the funding available per child.

The voluntary sector fully supports extended decision-making timelines when they are justified – particularly when they allow for meaningful consultation with adoptive and kinship families and thorough scrutiny of all options. Unfortunately, we are concerned this is not happening. A full consultation with adoption and kinship communities – and with the wider sector – has not taken place, nor are there signs that it will before the key decision is made.

The only documentation we have seen on the potential devolution, published by Adoption England, outlines a series of ambitions and options but lacks any rigorous analysis of the costs and benefits. CVAA has in response presented detailed feedback to the DfE on these proposals as it is essential that any future system for the ASGSF is fair and transparent for all children.

Yesterday we joined Adoption UK, Coram, Kinship, Family Rights Group and Barnardo’s in calling for a full and proper consultation prior to any decisions about future reform of the Fund, via a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Education. We believe this is essential, as plans to devolve the Fund risk undermining its core principles – equity, independent oversight, and central government accountability.

We urge caution against the promise of any entirely new delivery model, especially where claims of cost savings and efficiencies remain untested. Devolving means starting from scratch, waiting years to see a functioning system, with no guarantees that it will work effectively.

The adoption sector has a common vision: a holistic, multi-disciplinary model of adoption support that provides timely, evidence-based therapeutic interventions to children and families. This is entirely achievable via a centralised ASGSF – and we are not too far from this ambition currently. What we need is more flexibility built into the existing model, which harnesses the strengths within the current system of adoption support, including established and effective multidisciplinary teams who know their communities and families inside-out.

It is significant that many key organisations representing adoptive families have spoken out against proposals to devolve the fund – read Adoption UK’s blog here, and Action Against ASGSF Changes’ open letter here.

The risks and disruption are too great for a community who are already experiencing record levels of crisis at home. They need adoption support they can rely on, and they deserve to have their voices heard. The State owes them this.