The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) has been secured until March 2025, the Department for Education has confirmed.

This will take the ASF to its tenth year of funding. No details have yet been announced about the size of the fund or any changes to the way it operates, following a review last year.

The ASF funds therapeutic support for families whose children left care through adoption or special guardianship arrangements. These children are likely to have experienced severe trauma prior to coming into care and many need therapeutic support to help them thrive.

Responding to the announcement, Adoption UK’s chief executive Dr Sue Armstrong Brown said: “This is very good news, anxiously awaited by the adoption community. The Adoption Support Fund is a lifeline for thousands of families who are parenting some of the most vulnerable children in the country.”

Since its introduction in 2015, the Government has invested more than £200m in the ASF. Around 61,000 families have benefitted from the fund.