Bobby slams cuts to adoptive and kinship family support fund

Bobby Dean MP (Lib Dem, Carshalton and Wallington) has demanded that the Government reverse its latest cuts to support for adoptive and kinship families.

Children who are adopted or in kinship care – where relatives take on the responsibility of raising a family member’s child – are almost twice as likely as those brought up by their biological parents to suffer from mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and behavioural problems.

Until now, families in these situations have been able to access funding for therapy and mental health support through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. But the Government has announced plans to cut back the scheme.

The decision has left many families devastated, as they face losing access to the vital therapy their children urgently need.

Bobby, who himself grew up in kinship care, said the cuts were not only morally wrong but also financially short-sighted:
“A family in my constituency, a couple of elderly grandparents caring for a teenager who keeps making attempts on their own life—cannot get the support they need, and that child is now under the care of the local authority, which is a far more expensive measure.”

Bobby added that “To me, it feels like they are saving a penny a day, and it is costing them a pound tomorrow. I say this to the Minister: restore the funding, guarantee it for good, and stand by those families who are doing our society such a service.”