Two single mothers, Nicky and Heidi, now confront an uncertain future as crucial therapy sessions for themselves and their adopted children have abruptly ceased. Their art therapy was partially funded through the adoption and special guardianship support fund. Just recently, that same fund announced deep cuts in resources available.
Nicky has a six-year-old daughter with complex needs—including cerebral palsy, deafness, feeding tubes and more. She highlighted the importance of the therapy her daughter is getting, especially developmental psychotherapy and relationship therapy that focus on attachment trauma. She referred to the only therapy her daughter receives – animal therapy – as “essential” to her daughter’s progress.
“Our support services have been a lifeline that has come to an abrupt end,” Nicky stated, highlighting the challenges faced by families like hers. Build nonjudgmental, supportive relationships. She pointed out the importance of her weekly sessions physical sanctuary each week with a nonjudgmental provider.
Heidi, 35, adopted her kids at birth. Instead, her son has gotten regular parent training funded by the same family support grant—last year, during the pandemic, even virtually. She expressed the emotional toll of navigating adoption alone: “Living on your own, it’s a really, really lonely journey.”
The adoption and special guardianship support fund will reduce the maximum families can bid for by 40%. This amendment leads to a reduction in funding for each therapy from £5,000 to £3,000 per eligible child per year. Alongside this cut, a specialist assessment service has been abolished, exacerbating the loss of resources for families who desperately need them.
While the government argues that these changes will allow more vulnerable children to access support, Nicky and Heidi worry about the implications for their families. A spokesperson for the Department for Education explained, “The decisions we have taken will ensure the fund is financially sustainable to allow more vulnerable children to access targeted support and thrive in adoptive and kinship families.”
In fact, a little less than 20,000 children received support last year through the program, an impressive jump from around 13,000 in 2019-2020. Funding continues to dwindle, and vital services are vanishing. Nicky and Heidi alike are dismayed to see their families lose these essential lifelines.
She told us that there has been an increase in the number of calls to their helpline as families have been pulled into the effects of these changes. Instead, many are understandably left feeling abandoned and unsupported in their parenting journeys.
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