A special fund set up to support families with adopted children has been given a £12 million boost, the government has announced.
More than 35,000 families have accessed the Adoption Support Fund, which provides therapy sessions to help children settle into their new lives, according to the Department for Education.
A £6 million increase in the annual budget for the years 2018-19 and 2019-20 will take the total investment in the fund to £149 million since its introduction in 2015.
Education secretary Damian Hinds said: “Spending quality time with family is one of the most important parts of Christmas, and adoptive parents, along with foster carers and kinship carers, provide loving, stable homes for so many vulnerable children and young people.
Support for adoption families
“Thousands of families have had their lives transformed by adoption, but there are still too many children waiting to be adopted. I want those thinking about adoption and existing adoptive parents to know there is specialist support in place to help families as they adjust to their new lives together.
“We have seen how life-changing the fund can be and this extra funding will continue to support thousands of children who have experienced trauma, and adoptive families, as they settle into their new homes.”
The fund gives families and special guardians access to services including cognitive therapy, play and music therapy, and family support sessions designed to help children build relationships with their new families.
Sue Armstrong-Brown, chief executive of charity Adoption UK, welcomed the funding boost.
“This is fantastic news for adoptive parents across England,” she said.
“This support makes all the difference to families parenting some of the country’s most vulnerable children - in many cases it has been the one thing that held the family together and prevented the child returning to care.
“It’s vital that this support is safeguarded into the future, and I’m delighted that an additional £12 million has been allocated to support adoptive families.”
