Adoption Support Fund (ASGSF) in Wales: Why It Works Differently

ASGSF Eligibility Is Limited to England's Scheme

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is funded by England's Department for Education. Its eligibility is limited to children living in England or adopted from English local authority care. A Welsh special guardian does not qualify on the basis of Welsh residence alone; ask your local authority whether the child's circumstances meet the fund's criteria.

This is one of the most common sources of confusion for Welsh kinship carers. Online searches for "adoption support fund Wales" or "ASGSF eligibility Wales" return English pages that do not flag the territorial restriction.

How Therapeutic Support Works in Wales

Wales has its own framework. Therapeutic and practical support for children subject to Special Guardianship Orders in Wales is assessed and delivered under two pieces of legislation:

• Section 14F of the Children Act 1989 — gives special guardians the right to request a support needs assessment from their local authority
• The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 — sets out Welsh local authorities' duties to assess and meet eligible care and support needs of children and carers

In practice, this means therapeutic services come through your local authority social services department and NHS Wales Local Health Boards. There is no separate grant application process like the ASGSF in England.

What Therapeutic Support Can You Access?

When a Welsh local authority conducts a Special Guardianship Support Needs Assessment, they must consider whether the child needs therapeutic interventions. These can include:

• Play therapy or art therapy
• Attachment-based therapeutic support
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) through the local health board
• Life story work
• Therapeutic parenting training for the carer

The local authority may provide these directly, commission them from a third-party provider, or refer the child to NHS Wales services. Some councils have dedicated therapeutic teams; others rely on external commissioning.

The Gap Between the Systems

In England, the ASGSF provides ring-fenced funding for therapeutic support — local authorities apply on behalf of the family and the cost is covered centrally. This means English families can often access specialist therapeutic services more quickly and without drawing on the local council's budget.

In Wales, there is no equivalent ring-fenced fund. Therapeutic support comes from the local authority's own budget, which means availability depends heavily on the council's resources and priorities. This is a known gap that Kinship Cymru and the Senedd have highlighted in policy discussions.

What You Can Do

If your child needs therapeutic support:

1. Request a formal assessment — Write to your local authority's Children's Social Care team requesting a Special Guardianship Support Needs Assessment under Section 14F. Specify that you are requesting assessment of the child's therapeutic needs.
2. Ask about NHS Wales referrals — Your GP can refer the child to local CAMHS or specialist services. The local authority can also make referrals.
3. Contact Kinship Cymru — They can advise on what is available in your council area and help you advocate for services.
4. Use the complaints procedure — If the local authority refuses to assess or provide support without adequate reason, you can escalate through the statutory complaints process.

Further Reading

The Kinship Care in Wales guide covers the full range of support available to Welsh special guardians — from financial allowances to therapeutic services — and explains how to request and negotiate each type.

See more Wales guides →