Government announces £50m for adoption fund after concerns over delay
MPs from across the House criticised the Government for the delayed announcement, accusing it of leaving children who have experienced 'the deepest trauma' in 'limbo'.
Education minister Janet Daby recognised it has been a 'difficult time' for those who access the support, and said she regretted the delay in allocating funding for the scheme for the 2025/26 financial year.
Families of adopted children and families with a special guardianship order (SGO) or a child arrangement order (CAO) in place wanting to access therapy can request funding through local authorities or regional adoption agencies.
Responding to an urgent question on the fund, Ms Daby said: 'I very much appreciate that the delay in confirming continuation of this fund has been a very difficult time for many, and I am especially concerned about children and families, because many of those whom the adoption special guardianship support fund supports are in great need of help and in need of continued help.
'I do also recognise that there has been an impact on providers of therapy who have not been able to plan and prepare for the year ahead in the way they would have liked.
'However, the department has been clear with local authorities and regional adoption agencies about transitional funding arrangements, which means that therapy which started in the last financial year can continue into 2025/26, even ahead of full 25/26 budget announcements.
'Appropriate transitional funding has been agreed for a significant number of children.
'I do regret the delay in making this announcement, but I'm very happy to confirm that today that £50 million has been allocated for the adoption and special guardianship support fund this year.
'We will be announcing further details to the House in the coming days and opening applications to families and children across our country as soon as we can.'
Asking the urgent question, Liberal Democrat education, children and families spokeswoman Munira Wilson said families had been 'left hanging and in limbo'.
The Twickenham MP added: 'Many members on all sides of the chamber have spent the last few months asking question after question and being batted away, time after time, that answers will be forthcoming.
'Yet this vital fund is there to help those most vulnerable children who have experienced the deepest trauma.'
Ms Daby said she 'recognises the potential impact on children and families'.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell described the delay as a 'tragedy' because 'many services have closed and people's therapy (has) been stopped as a result of this hiatus in funding'.
The York Central MP added: 'Will she ensure that those people impacted by this gap in the funding will be able to have additional support for the trauma that it could have caused to those young people? And will she ensure that the Treasury sign off funding ahead of deadlines when funding ends?'
Ms Daby said the Government is 'committed' to adopted children and 'will continue to work together to make sure sufficient funding is in place and is more timely'.
Labour MP Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) also pressed the Government to 'guarantee that this doesn't happen again'.
Ms Daby said the Government 'will continue to support local authorities' to fulfil their statutory duty to have support services in place for adopted children.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott questioned why the Government had not confirmed the funding sooner.
She said: 'It is utterly extraordinary that today we have had to summon the Government to the chamber to provide clarity on whether they have axed the programme which ended yesterday – so we thought – and supports 20,000 of our most vulnerable young people.'
Responding, Ms Daby said applications would be open 'as soon as possible'.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, Steve Darling, who was himself put up for adoption, said the information on the continuation of the fund had been dragged from the minister 'kicking and screaming'.
He said: 'The world is a much more complex place and children are so much more likely to have had adverse childhood experiences and then need this funding.
'One had hoped that after the general election, the adults were back in the room. Can the minister assure this chamber that the funding will continue for year after year after year?'
Ms Daby replied: 'This Government has no plans to prevent this funding at this time from continuing.'
Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, asked the minister to clarify if there would be 'a slight expansion of the remit of the fund so that it can help more people in kinship care', telling MPs that he had been raised in a kinship care setting.
Ms Daby said the Government is not 'looking to expand this fund' but that the funding announced would also be available to kinship carers.
The Labour MP for Cannock Chase, Josh Newbury, said he is an adoptive parent and foster carer and called for 'timely decision-making when it comes to support for vulnerable children and young people so that there's continuity of support'.
The minister said she agreed decisions needed to be made 'in a timely fashion' and she appreciates 'the concern that delay in this announcement has caused'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Journey times up, deaths down: Welsh 20mph speed limit still divisive two years on
A few weeks ago, two groups of protesters gathered on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. One demonstration was against the war in Gaza, the other against the Welsh government's two-year-old default 20mph speed limit in urban areas. The change from 30mph was brought in by the Welsh Labour government across about 35% of the country's roads in September 2023, at a cost of £34m. The reduced speed limit applied to any built-up area, defined as roads where lamp-posts were no more than about 180 metres apart. Last week a small study by GoSafe, which monitors road cameras, found the policy had added an average of two minutes to journey times of differing lengths, aggravating an already bitter culture war over legislation designed to save lives. Collisions along roads that have changed from 30mph to 20mph decreased by 19% in 2024 compared with 2023, and 100 fewer people a year have been killed or badly hurt in road traffic accidents, according to Welsh government figures. Yet according to canvassing Senedd members and local councillors, the issue remains deeply unpopular with voters as the country's embattled Labour administration gears up for Senedd elections next May. The former first minister Mark Drakeford, who spearheaded the policy, has previously said he was surprised at the level of opposition and anger the new limit provoked. The backlash included protests, defacing and knocking down new speed limit signs, and a petition signed by nearly half a million people opposing the policy – the largest in the Senedd's history. Phil Jones, a chartered engineer and transport planning expert who chaired the Welsh government taskforce on establishing 20mph default, said the policy was working 'exactly as intended'. 'There's nothing preventing local authorities from putting the limit back up. We reviewed practices in other places, journey times, economic impact; none of this should be a surprise,' he said. 'Say all the roads go back up and casualties go up again too. What is an acceptable death toll that justifies getting to work two minutes faster? That's what people who want to get rid of it need to answer.' More than 130,000 drivers – or 34% of people with licences in Wales – have been caught breaking the lower limit since it was introduced, while the most recent YouGov polling, from a year ago, found seven in 10 people opposed the 20mph default. The Welsh Conservatives have consistently called for the law to be scrapped over what the party says is the confusion and frustration it causes for drivers. Sam Rowlands, the shadow cabinet secretary for transport, said: 'It's a hard balance to strike but as a country we've been doing this risk assessment for decades, and we landed on 30mph. It's a huge waste of taxpayer money.' Ken Skates, who caught the hospital pass on his appointment as transport cabinet secretary in March 2024, was quickly forced into a partial climbdown, giving councils £5m to reassess local speed limits over what he described as 'consistent' concerns. Last month, Wrexham began changing 52 roads back to 30mph. Newport council has named 14 roads where the speed limit will go up again, while in Blaneau Gwent one road has changed back, and in Ceredigion no changes are planned.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
What is Yvette Cooper's plan to fast-track asylum claims?
As tensions flare up in the UK over migration, with protests taking place in Newcastle, Manchester and north London, the government is pursuing a new plan to reduce the asylum backlog. The home secretary has said she plans to introduce a fast-track scheme to turn around asylum decisions within weeks, via a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process. The plan is part of a wider attempt to crack down on the number of people crossing the Channel, with Ms Cooper announcing a 'one-in-one-out' returns deal with France earlier this year. But despite their efforts, last week it was revealed that the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel topped 25,000 in record time, piling pressure on the government to take further action. It is hoped that the new plan will make a dent in the backlog and return people to safe countries faster, reducing the number of asylum seekers who are housed in hotels while awaiting the outcome of a claim or appeal. Here, The Independent takes a look at everything we know about the plan so far and how it will work in practice. How would the fast-track system work? Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation, including hotels, if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently. But Yvette Cooper has now promised a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process, speeding up the time it takes for decisions on claims and appeals to be made. There are currently limited details on how this system would work, but sources told the Sunday Times it would allow decisions to be taken within weeks, rather than months or even years. Once a decision has been taken, those who have been rejected will be returned to their home country – reducing the number of people housed in temporary accommodation. 'If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers in the asylum system, because that is the best way to actually restore order and control,' Ms Cooper said. When will it be implemented? The home secretary has said she will legislate for the changes in autumn, when MPs return from their summer break. But it could take months for any legislation to pass through parliament, meaning we are unlikely to see the fast-track system implemented until the new year. How big is the asylum backlog and why is tackling it a priority? As of the end of March 2025, there were 78,745 asylum applications awaiting an initial decision – an 8 per cent decrease from the end of June 2024 and a 13 per cent decrease compared to the end of December 2024, official immigration statistics show. These outstanding cases related to 109,536 people, including both main applicants and their dependents. Labour has put a pledge to fix the 'broken' asylum system and crack down on the number of people coming to the UK on small boats at the centre of its plan for government. But with boat crossings at a record high, and the asylum backlog still above 75,000, there is mounting pressure on ministers to take more drastic action, a pressure exacerbated by the success of Reform UK in the polls. The government has also promised to end the use of asylum hotels before the end of this parliament, a promise it is unlikely to meet unless the backlog is reduced. Tensions over asylum hotels have flared up in recent weeks, with a protest and counter-protest taking place on Saturday outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London, and also in Newcastle and Manchester.
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scotch whisky: 'No sign' US tariffs will increase to 25%
The US President has so far agreed a 10% tariffs on UK exports and 15% on EU ones. Across the Scotch whisky sector, there are concerns that this deal - which is believed to be costing the industry £4m a week - will lead to significant harm for businesses. READ MORE: Scotch whisky hopes rise after Trump pledges to talk tariffs Trump talks of 'great love' for Scotland during visit 'Scotland must switch whisky exports from America to Canada' The Secretary of State is currently leading a UK Government delegation to Germany this week to 'increase economic ties' with the EU. Mr Murray said it was important to point out that trade deals with the likes of EU and India, the largest growing economy in the world, will provide a 'great opportunity' for Scotch whisky. Yet, earlier on the programme, Scotland's public finance minister Ivan McKee warned that 25% tariffs could be imposed next year as a deal previously reached with America on temporary duty reliefs could be lifted. Between October 2019 and March 2021, the tariff imposed as a result of the Boeing dispute resulted in £600 million in lost Scotch whisky exports. A deal was eventually reached in 2021 to take the 25% tariff off the industry. However, Mr McKee said: 'That was done on a temporary basis and that runs out next year so it's really important that it is taken out of the picture permanently because when that was in place, that was a significant hamper to Scotch whisky exports. 'As the UK Government concludes the deal with the US Government, we would expect it to be 10% tariffs on whisky which is clearly something we wish wasn't there.' Mr McKee said he would hope this was not re-imposed but added: 'There's nothing but unpredictability when it comes to Donald Trump and tariffs so who knows what's happening.' However, Mr Murray insisted it is unlikely this would happen. Asked how likely it would be for 25% tariffs to be re-imposed on Scotch whisky, Mr Murray said: 'There is no sign of that at the moment.' He added: 'It's 10% tariffs on Scottish whisky. Yes, we would rather that was as close to zero as possible but ten percent is as low as anybody else in the world right now." Mr Murray said the Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been able to 'reset international relationships' to do a deal with the US on tariffs. He said: 'Many, including the First Minister, wanted us to walk away from the US president but it was really important in the national interest and in the Scottish national interest for us to have that relationship to do that deal. '10% is the lowest tariff in the world. We did the first trade deal it saved the steel industry, the car industry. 'Yes, 10% tariffs on Scotch whisky is disappointing and we will continue to champion the cause for the really unique position of whisky. "We don't want it to be subject to historic trade wars as it has been in the past. It is a really thriving industry.' Speaking about the US president's visit to Scotland, Mr Murray said it was a 'great privilege' to when he landed in the country last week. He said he was in 'no doubt' of Mr Trump's 'great love of Scotland', adding: 'That is something we should exploit in the national interest.' During his visit to Scotland, President Trump promised to 'take a look' at tariffs on Scotch whisky during his meeting with Starmer as he said he wanted Scotland "to thrive". Since then, however, no changes have been made to the current arrangement. Speaking on the radio today, the Secretary of State also said Mr Trump suggested he should join him at the press conference beside Air Force One when he arrived in the country, however, the Secretary of State declined. Mr Murray said: 'He did tap me on the shoulder and said, 'let's go and do this press conference together' which I declined…because it's not for me to do so. 'I don't think it was for me to speak to the American press pack who is travelling on Air Force One with the President of the United States.'
