On Tuesday, May 20, Rebecca Smith, MP for South West Devon, led a Westminster Hall debate addressing the growing concerns surrounding the Government’s decision to reduce the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) by 40 per cent.

The fund, introduced by the previous Conservative Government in 2015, has provided critical financial support to adoptive and kinship families.

However this fund has now been reduced from £5,000 to £3,000 per child per year.

This reduction, combined with the complete removal of the £2,500 annual allocation for specialist assessments, and the scrapping of match funding which previously supported the most complex cases, poses a significant threat to the ability of families to access vital trauma therapy and specialist support services.

Ms. Smith expressed her deep concern that these cuts will disproportionately affect families caring for children with high and complex needs.

Alongside this, Ms. Smith also raised the alarm about the increased pressure on local authorities, who may now be expected to fill the funding gap without sufficient resources.

Speaking during the debate, Ms. Smith challenged the Government over its decision to cut this essential fund stating:

“Since July 2024, there was a cloud of uncertainty about the future of the fund.

“The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund - lifeline to thousands of vulnerable children - was left hanging in the balance. Families were left wondering whether the therapeutic support their children desperately need would vanish overnight.

Speaking on behalf of local families affected by the cuts, Ms. Smith also read a heartfelt message from a South West Devon constituent, a mother of an adopted daughter, who described the impact on their daily life:

“These children are slipping through the net and it is the parents who are dealing with the fallout - excessive child on parent violence, total exhaustion from managing needs at home and constant battling with professionals.

I myself have had to give up my career in order to maintain the daily battle of getting her to schools then constant meetings to get her any sort of education that meets her needs. It’s exhausting!”

Later in the debate, Ms. Smith pressed the Minister with a direct and urgent appeal:

“It should not be about spreading funding thinly to go further. It should be about extending the funding at its previous levels.

To see a return to the £5000 Fair Access Limit.

To reinstate the £2500 allowance for specialist assessments.

To allow for match funding.

To make the funding permanent and no subject to annual spending rounds.

And to seek to provide it for more families…

Following the debate, Ms. Smith said:

“I was disappointed that the Minister offered no clear commitment to restore funding or tackle the urgent, real-life challenges facing vulnerable children and their families.

“These are not abstract issues - they require immediate action.

“The Treasury must step up, and the Chancellor must act now to reinstate this vital support or risk far greater costs down the line.”

The debate made it clear that the concerns about these cuts are shared across party lines and by families up and down the country.