CVAA welcomes announcement of further funding for adoption support and recruitment

The Department for Education’s press release on the announcement of new funding for the Adoption Support Fund and adopter recruitment can be found on the DfE’s website.

On Sunday 22 December, the Department for Education announced a boost of £5 million pounds for the Adoption Support Fund (ASF), which takes the fund’s 2020/21 budget to £45 million. The ASF has provided vital support to almost 50,000 adoptive and special guardian families and their children since 2015.

At present, the ASF is set to run until the end of March 2021, and is subject to the next Comprehensive Spending Review. CVAA will continue to work with the Department and other stakeholders to achieve an ASF that is timely, effective, comprehensive, and improves outcomes for children and families.

Maggie Jones, CEO of CVAA, said,

“The additional £45m for adoption support announced today is excellent news. The Adoption Support Fund provides a life line for families at all stages of their adoption journey, supporting children and families to overcome the challenges of difficult early experiences and build a resilient happy future. This wonderful extra funding will enable VAAs and other adoption support providers to increase the help they provide and reduce the time families have to wait to receive vital support. VAAS are united with the adoptive families in welcoming this evidence of the Government’s ongoing commitment to the Adoption Support Fund and to providing the support needed to enable adoptive families to thrive.”

The announcement also included an additional £1+ million for adopter recruitment in 2020. We, along with other voluntary organisations, are pleased to be playing an active part in the national cross-sector steering group which is overseeing this funding and driving this work. We look forward to continuing to work with colleagues across the adoption system to find families and reduce the time that children wait to be adopted.