16/01/2026
Well I didnât expect to be mentioned in Westminster Hall đ€Ł thank you Adam Dance - MP for Yeovil and South Somerset for advocating for this funding cut crisis đșđš.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DMhxgKwxK/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The email I sent him:
Dear Adam Dance MP,
My name is Lily Wake. I am a registered Play Therapist and Clinical Supervisor working independently in Somerset, supporting adopted children and those in kinship care through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). I have worked with families in both your constituency and Sarah Dykeâs over the past five years.
One of the families I support met with you earlier this year at a local clinic session. They shared their concerns about the ASGSF and how vital it is for their childrenâs wellbeing. It meant a great deal to them to be heard, and I hope you will continue to listen to families like theirs. Sadly, the situation has only worsened since that meeting.
The ASGSF provides essential therapeutic support to children who have experienced early trauma, loss, or abuse. In February 2025, I prepared top-up applications for children whose contracts were due to end in March, but no information or guidance was provided. Applications were frozen. No one knew what was happening â not providers, not social workers, not parents. We were left in limbo.
In April, it was finally announced that the fund would continue, but with a 40% cut to the Fair Access Limit, the removal of the ÂŁ2,500 assessment pot, and the complete loss of match funding. There was no consultation, no transition plan, and no warning.
Because of these cuts:
Therapy sessions have been reduced from 46 to 27 per year
Children now face up to three-month gaps in support (JanâMarch)
Families are being forced to choose between a vital assessment or therapy
Review meetings and parent support have been stripped back
Providers like me have faced months without pay while trying to shield families from the fallout
One of my April contracts wasnât paid until October. I worked unpaid for months, prioritising the childrenâs emotional stability over my own financial survival. I chose to absorb the uncertainty and delays so that already frazzled parents wouldnât have to â and so the children I support, many of whom have experienced unimaginable harm and upheaval, wouldnât be destabilised yet again.
But the truth is: this is not sustainable. Experienced providers are leaving the fund. Children are falling through the cracks. Social workers are exhausted. Parents are scared and overwhelmed.
Children with trauma need consistent, specialist therapy â not scraps of funding, not uncertainty, and not a postcode lottery. The ASGSF is life-changing when it works. But this year, it has been broken. And families are paying the price.
I urge you to:
Support calls to restore the full ASGSF Fair Access Limit and assessment pot
Hold the DfE and RAAs accountable for the unacceptable delays and lack of transparency
Push for a sustainable, ethical, child-centred model going forward
Ensure that providers like me can continue offering this vital support without being financially penalised for putting children first
Thank you for all you do locally. I hope I can count on your support in standing up for our most vulnerable children.
Lily Wake đș Accredited Play Therapist - Clinical Supervisor (trainee)
FDA, BA (hons), PGCert, PGDip, MA
Koala Tree Child Therapy
The Old School, Queen Camel
Yeovil BA227NH
Somerset
Mobile: 07597 055235
Email: [email protected]
Web: koalatree.co.uk
membership no: 201802312
Play Therapist in Somerset specialising in: Autism, Stress, Anxiety, Trauma, PTSD, Bereavement, Loss, Separation, Depression, Low-Mood, Fears, Phobias, Nightmares, Aggression, Shyness, Withdrawn Behaviour, foster care support, adoption support
