Release date: 4 June 2025
Senior leaders at West Sussex County Council have written to the government to oppose funding cuts that will impact many adoptive, kinship and special guardianship families with a history of trauma and loss.
Council leader Councillor Paul Marshall and Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, Councillor Jacquie Russell have jointly written to the Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Janet Daby MP, after changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund were announced earlier this year.
The fund provides financial assistance to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to fund essential therapeutic services for eligible adoptive, special guardianship order, and child arrangement order families. It helps families access support for children who may have experienced trauma or separation, including support for their emotional and behavioural needs.
Changes announced earlier this year include a reduction to the amount available for therapy from £5,000 to £3,000 per child. They also remove a separate £2,500 allocation for specialist assessments, and the elimination of match-funded support for exceptional cases.
The council leader and cabinet member have called on the Under Secretary of State to use the government’s upcoming spending review “as an opportunity to recommit to these families; restoring funding levels and flexibility to ensure that children and young people with a history of trauma and loss can access the support they need to thrive.”
Cllr Marshall said: “The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund has been a critical source of therapeutic intervention and specialist assessment for many eligible families, enabling access to support often unavailable through local authorities.
“It plays a crucial role in helping some of our most vulnerable children and young people recover from early life trauma and build stable, loving relationships with their families. Continued national funding supports our commitment to giving every child the best start in life. It is essential to ensure that adoptive families and special guardians are not left without the support they need to care for the children they love.”
The letter from Cllr Marshall and Cllr Russell follows a resolution at a meeting of Full Council on 16 May, when a notice of motion proposed by Cllr John Dabell was approved.
WATCH: Watch the full debate on changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
Cllr Russell added: “I was delighted that Full Council supported this important motion. We have now contacted the Under Secretary of State on behalf of West Sussex to demonstrate the council’s unwavering commitment to ensuring children and families can access the right support at the right time, enabling eligible children and their families to reach their full potential and build secure, loving futures.”
