The evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund

This document describes an evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund (ASF), a program launched in England to enhance therapeutic support for adopted children and their families. The ASF aimed to improve post-adoption services and was assessed through a mixed-methods approach by the Tavistock Institute, involving surveys, case studies, and interviews with stakeholders. The evaluation revealed that the ASF positively influenced service delivery, leading to more formal assessments and expanded multidisciplinary teams, and was well-received by parents. However, it also increased workloads and raised concerns about sustainability and the future of the ASF. The ASF prompted local authorities to act more responsively and to invest in workforce development, but challenges in service demand, staff roles, and market readiness for therapeutic support were noted. While adoptive families saw a slight increase in support services and high satisfaction with the ASF's therapeutic services, issues with access to coordinated support and professional understanding of adoption persist. The evaluation concludes that the ASF has beneficially impacted adoption support but underscores the need for ongoing development and consistent support services. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Department for Education (DfE)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Generic research method
• Process methods: Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: August 2017

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING): No final report link found.
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes