HL Deb 07 November 2002 vol 640 cc143-4WA
Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimate they have made of the number of families likely to benefit from the ring-fenced funding of £70 million for adoption support services announced on 13 October. [HL6220]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath:

An extra £70 million is to be made available for adoption support services and special guardianship support services over the next three years. This comprises £12 million in 2003–04, £23 million in 2004–05 and £35 million in 2005–06.

The funding will help councils to deliver the duties set out in the Adoption and Children Bill that will require them to make and participate in arrangements for the provision of adoption support services and in the future special guardianship support services. Adoption support services cover a very wide range of different types of assistance to those affected by adoption. Such assistance might range from the provision of basic information about services through oral advice or the provision of a leaflet, to financial support, to assistance with accessing multi-agency packages of care, and, in some cases, to intensive therapeutic intervention and support in order to prevent the avoidable breakdown of an adoptive placement.

We expect this funding to be of significant benefit to children affected by adoption, their adoptive families and their birth families regardless of when the adoption took place. In the future this funding will also assist those affected by special guardianship. Precise figures of the numbers that will receive services are difficult to predict, but, given the broad scope of adoption support described above, many thousands of families affected by adoption will undoubtedly benefit to differing degrees.

In terms of hard figures, the Government have set a public service agreement target to increase by 40 per cent and, if possible, by 50 per cent the number of looked after children adopted by 2004–05, from a baseline of 2,700 in 1999–2000. There is clear evidence to show that the numbers of children being adopted and the numbers of children being placed for adoption are increasing. During 2000–01, 3,100 looked after children were adopted in England and, in addition, at 31 March 2001 some 3,400 children were placed for adoption. If this trend continues, in each year of the grant we can expect there to be in the region of 7,000 looked after children who are newly adopted or are placed for adoption. Once the provisions of the Bill are in force and the grant is in payment, these children and their families will be eligible to seek support as will anyone else affected by adoption.

This is not the first time this Government have specifically funded adoption services. We have already pledged £66.5 million of the Department of Health's spending review settlement over the 2001–02—2003–04 for adoption services.