Adoption support fund

Adoption support fund (ASF)

Adoptive parents are eligible to apply for up to £5,000 per annum for each of their children to meet their therapeutic needs and/or the therapeutic needs of your family. An additional £2,500 is available to carry out a needs assessment.

Unlike Pupil Premium Plus, adoption support funding is also available to children and young people who have been adopted from outside England and Wales, including overseas, and extends up to the age of 21. Also, if the child or young person concerned has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) they may access the fund until they are 25. Parents, rather than your school or college, will need to apply for this funding.

The charity first4adoption.org.uk has clear and comprehensive information about how adoption support funding works.  Their available therapies section of their website offers helpful suggestions for and definitions of therapies that can be paid for with the ASF.  

GOV.UK also has resources for adoption support funding, which you can view here.

Applying for Adoption support funding

In Richmond and Kingston, the parents and guardians will need to contact their social worker or the duty social worker on 0208 547 4620 and they will take an adoption support referral.

For the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, parents can contact the Adopt Thames Valley Permanence support team on 01865 323121 or by email at ATV.PermanenceSupport@oxfordshire.gov.uk