Proposal 8: Improving value for money to ensure every pound is being spent efficiently, sustainably, and on families

The aim here is to review of the costs of each intervention currently funded by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and to use this to set out a benchmarking tool and guidance.

Potential benefits:

Theoretically, having a benchmark for what individual therapies cost based on market value would help policymakers understand what realistic funding levels are needed to meet the needs of children and young people who are adopted and in kinship care. This was missing when government made cuts to the ASGSF in April 2025. This could add transparency and help alleviate any concerns of over-charging for therapies.

Potential concerns:

The proposal is that a benchmarking tool will help government introduce measures that ‘ensure funding is spent where it makes the biggest difference for families’, but it is not clear how that will be done. As it is written, this proposal is about cost, not quality or effectiveness. Some therapies may have higher unit costs upfront but yield greater cost savings to the treasury long-term, for example by helping a young person to stay in work or education and thrive in adulthood.

Any market evaluation of provision should be carried out independently in order to remain neutral, as well as work closely with current providers.