£2m for councils to trial adoption support
Neil Puffett
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Ten local authorities will get a slice of £2m in government funding to trial new methods of support for adopted children, it has been announced.
The pilot, which will be run in Cornwall, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Leicester, Lewisham, Manchester, Newcastle, North Yorkshire, and Solihull, will be used to determine how the government’s £19.3m Adoption Support Fund will operate when it launches next year.
Through the Adoption Support Fund, announced last September, local authorities will provide therapeutic services such as cognitive therapy, play and music therapy, and intensive family support, to try to help adopted children recover from previous experiences.
It is hoped that improved support will result in fewer adoptions breaking down.
The trial phase is intended to help decide how best to design the fund, including how to ensure that it is accessible to adopters and how to best incentivise local authorities to invest their own money in the fund.
Children’s minister Edward Timpson said some adopted children have been through “terrible ordeals”.
“We want all adoptive families to know help is there for them and their new child every step of the way,” he said.
“The Adoption Support Fund will help ensure the families in most need are able to access crucial services when they need them.”
Carol Homden, chief executive of children’s charity Coram, said access to support, such as therapeutic parenting courses and art and music therapy, can help adoptive families develop secure and loving attachments and thrive.
“As the fund is rolled out we look forward to ways of involving Coram’s expertise so that post-adoption support is not only more available and accessible to families, it is also well-evidenced and consistent throughout the country,” she added.