Jay’s blog – a critical moment for adoption support

We were delighted to start the year by receiving our fifth Ofsted Outstanding rating. The inspectors talked to children, families and staff at Family Futures and reported that “Children feel safe and secure in their adoptive families…The team provides consistent support that is highly individualised to reflect individual needs.” We were especially pleased to hear that the children who spoke with inspectors rated the support they receive as 10 out of 10 and said they felt able to contact the team whenever they needed help or reassurance. This is a tribute to our dedicated team at Family Futures and to the children and families in our care who make us what we are. You can read the full Ofsted report here.

This recognition of outstanding support for adopted and kinship families comes at a critical time. We have recently had the government announcement that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will continue until March 2028. However, the reduced £3,000 annual cap remains, with no separate assessment fund and no match funding option. For care experienced children living with complex trauma, this level of funding does not provide sufficient support for them to thrive in their daily lives, while the uncertainty over funding for lifelong or longer term support is a source of anxiety and stress among the adoptive and kinship families we speak to.

The government has opened a consultation called ‘Adoption support that works for all’ about the future of adoption and kinship support which runs until 5th May. Everyone with an interest in adoption and kinship – adoptees, parents, carers, and professionals – are invited to complete the survey here.

Family Futures, with other adoption agencies and campaigners, was instrumental in collectively campaigning for this public consultation. We believe this should be a significant opportunity to bring positive change for adoptive families. However, we have concerns about how the data from this consultation will ultimately be used, as this is not clearly explained. We encourage you to read the helpful guidance produced by Adoption UK before responding, as it summarises potential benefits and drawbacks of the proposals. The POTATO group have also published an open letter to the Minister for Children and Families setting out serious concerns among many adoptive families that the proposals shift emphasis away from access to specialist provision, risking ‘misalignment with the government’s own research findings,’ and not taking account of the complexity of developmental trauma among care experienced children.

Family Futures, along with many other service providers and families, is very concerned that the consultation questions are framed in a way that is difficult to disagree with. For example, the proposal to strengthen peer and community support gives a range of agree/disagree options but does not give crucial context. If funding for this type of support is increased under the proposals, it could be replacing funding for specialist therapeutic support. This is not made clear.

If you feel some of the questions in the consultation are unclear or lacking important details, it may be worth selecting ‘disagree’ rather than ‘agree’, and using the comment box to share what has or hasn’t worked in your experience. We think it likely that data from the tick boxes will be used as evidence once the consultation closes and we cannot assume our further comments will be listened to. However, it is still an important opportunity for us all to respond thoughtfully in the hope that the future of adoption and kinship support will be centred around evidence of what works best for children.

Family Futures is delighted to have recently joined CASA (The Consortium of Adoption Support Agencies) and we are looking forward to working collaboratively with other therapeutic providers to promote best practice, share expertise and influence change at this crucial time for the adoption support sector.

It is also vital that adoptee voices are embedded in policy and practice design. The recent report ‘Adoptee Voices’ published by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence, powerfully reflects young people’s lived experience and the lifelong impact of trauma. It is shocking to read in the report that “82% of respondents told us that adopted young people are not properly understood or supported by society or government.” Accessible and reliable ASGSF funding will be a vital part of supporting and understanding the needs of adoptees, and their voices need to be front and centre if the government are to get this right.

If you are a professional working with care experienced children or families, we have a range of training courses, resources and webinars (see current discounts here) to support parents, carers, colleagues and the wider community, all developed by our specialist team.

Family Futures is here to support you and our advice line is open every weekday morning if you are worried about your family or have a question about getting support. To speak to one of our therapists, call us on 020 7354 4161.

Jay Vaughan MBE and the Family Futures team

27 February 2026