Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF)  

TouchBase is an approved provider for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund offering specialist services for children and young people who are adopted or who are cared for under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO). 

The ASGSF was established because many families need some kind of therapeutic support following adoption and too many have struggled to get the help they need in the past. The government has increased funding for the ASGSF year-on-year. 

 The fund is available to: 

• children who are living with a family in England while waiting for adoption 

• children who were adopted from local authority care in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and live in England 

• children who were adopted from abroad and live in England with a recognised adoption status 

• children who were in care before an SGO was made 

• children who left care under a special guardianship order that was subsequently changed to an adoption order, or vice versa 

• children who are under a residency order or child arrangement order (CAO) and were previously looked after 

• children who were previously looked after but where the adoption, special guardianship, residency or CAO placement has broken down, irrespective of any reconciliation plans 

 

Each child or young person eligible for the ASGSF is able to access £2,500 per year for a specialist assessment and £5,000 per year for therapeutic interventions. 

Individuals up to the age of 21, or 25 if they have an EHCP and are in education, are also able to access the ASF. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/adoption-support-fund-asf 

The therapies funded are those identified by the ASGSF to help achieve the following positive outcomes for you and your child: 

• Improved relationships with friends, family members, teachers and school staff 

• Improved engagement with learning 

• Improved emotional regulation and behaviour management 

• Improved confidence and ability to enjoy a positive family life and social relationships 

 

At TouchBase we offer the following services, all of which can be funded by the ASGSF: 

• Therapeutic parenting training 

• Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) 

• Theraplay 

• Creative therapies such as art, music, drama, play 

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) 

• Psychotherapy 

• Attachment and developmental trauma Specialist Assessment resulting in a therapeutic support plan (Seguridad) 

  

In order to access the fund, the child or young person will need to have an assessment of adoption/special guardianship support needs carried out by the local authority. The local authority that placed the child is responsible for assessing their needs for three years after the adoption order. Following this support assessment, the local authority can then make a referral to TouchBase. When we receive a referral, we will: 

• Review the referral to ensure we are able to offer what is being asked for 

• Provide a quote to the social worker which they will submit to the ASGSF. 

Once the ASGSF has approved the funds (which usually takes around 5-6 weeks), we will get in touch to set up the work.