Participate in research: Manchester Uni Biomedical Research Centre are asking what matters most in adoption research. - For: Adopted persons, friends/family, professionals with adoption expertise. - 15-minute survey, developed with adopted people. - £100 prize draw. www.qualtrics.manche...

Today we've published our organisational response to the Department for Education's Adoption support that works for all consultation. The response draws heavily on our research. Thanks again to all who participated and to those who led and contributed to it's publication.

Adoption support that works for all consultation: The POTATO Group response.

Today we are publishing The POTATO Group’s full organisational response to the Department for Education’s consultation, Adoption Support that Works for All.It draws on our 2025 research, Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order, alongside Department-commissioned evidence and the lived experience shared across our community.Our response sets out serious concerns about the direction of reform, particularly the risk that specialist therapeutic support is replaced by lower-cost universal provision that do

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The DfE’s own research documents high levels of trauma, neurodevelopmental difference and clinical need among adopted and kinship children. Our open letter to the Minister asks how the proposed reforms align with the data. Policy must follow evidence. www.thepotatogroup.org.uk/post/open-le...

Open letter: Adoption Support that Works for All consultation and the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

By Euan Preston, Chair, The POTATO Group16 February 2026As chair of The POTATO Group, I have written an open letter to the Minister for Children and Families regarding the Adoption Support that Works ...

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Today we have published an open letter to The Minster for Children and Families setting out concerns relating to the Adoption Support that Works for All consultation.

Open letter: Adoption Support that Works for All consultation and the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

By Euan Preston, Chair, The POTATO Group16 February 2026As chair of The POTATO Group, I have written an open letter to the Minister for Children and Families regarding the Adoption Support that Works for All consultation and the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. The full text is published below.Josh MacAlister MPMinister for Children and FamiliesDepartment for Education16th February 2026Open letter: Adoption Support that Works for All consultation and the future of th

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DfE consultation launched on the future of post-adoption support. ASGSF funding confirmed to 2028, with proposals that point to its replacement. www.thepotatogroup.org.uk/post/adoptio...

Adoption Support Consultation Launched as Government Sets Out Plans for Post-2028 Reform

The government has launched a consultation on the future of adoption and kinship support, setting out proposals that will shape what replaces the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund from 20...

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Our response to BBC File on 4 Investigates: Adoption - The Blame Game. www.thepotatogroup.org.uk/post/bbc-fil...

BBC File on 4 Investigates: Adoption: The Blame Game

On 2 December 2025, BBC File on Four released Adoption: The Blame Game, an investigation into lies, blame and systemic gaslighting within adoption in the UK. Presented by Judith Moritz, it drew on wha...

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Heading home after a lovely weekend in Brum for our AGM. Huge thanks to Becky Brooks, Dr David Junior Gilbert and Gillian Elam for outstanding presentations, & to our volunteer committee for making it all happen. Grateful to members who joined us, and to those who wanted to but couldn't. - Euan

Today our research article was published in Community Care. Thanks to our Research Manager, Gillian Elam, and to all of those POTATO Group members who revisited some of the most traumatising times of their lives to share their experiences. www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/11/12/w...

At our professionals conference last year, our members’ lived experiences took centre stage. A volunteer team, led by Research Manager Gillian Elam, carried out research that shaped our landmark report. Clip from Family Matters podcast. thanks to @adoptionuk.bsky.social for inviting us on.

It’s #NationalAdoptionWeek, and it would be remiss not to mention our landmark research into the lived experiences of adoptive families raising children and young adults affected by early-life trauma. www.thepotatogroup.o...

Overnight bag packed and on the train to Cardiff for the National Adoption Service Cymru AGM, Adoption in Wales: Learning from Research and Experience. Grateful to have been invited to share insights from our research on how early trauma shapes our children’s lives. ~ Euan

Hundreds of dedicated parents. Peer support, solidarity, and a drive for change. Chair of The Potato Group, Euan Preston, introduces who we are, and why we exist. A clip from the Family Matters podcast. Thanks again to @adoptionuk.bsky.social for inviting us on to discuss our research.

The #ASGSF is being extended for another year. Welcome news, but it’s not enough. Adoptive and kinship families deserve appropriately funded, stable, effective support, not short-term extensions and vague promises. questions-statements...

We love our kids fiercely, and we always will. But adoption culture needs to move beyond the idea that “love is enough”. Our research report shows what happens when trauma is left unrecognised and families are left without the right support: www.thepotatogroup.o...

Thanks to Sarah Ruston OBE from @adoptionuk.bsky.social for inviting our Research Manager, Gillian Elam, and Chair, @euanpreston, onto the Family Matters podcast to talk about The POTATO Group’s research, 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳. www.adoptionuk.org/family-matte...

Many thanks @alcoates.bsky.social & @gayadoptiondad.bsky.social for having our Research Manager, Gillian Elam, and Chair, @euanpreston.bsky.social, on The Adoption and Fostering Podcast to talk about our research report. www.podbean.com/pw/pbblog-4r...

Some pods to listen out for: 2. Today Sarah Ruston spoke with us on @adoptionuk.bsky.social’s Family Matters podcast, again about our research, which you can (and should) find here: www.thepotatogroup.o...

Some pods to listen out for: 1. Last week, @alcoates.bsky.social & @gayadoptiondad.bsky.social very kindly invited our chair @euanpreston and research manager Gillian Elam onto @aandfpodcast.bsky.social to talk about our research, which you can (and should) find here: www.thepotatogroup.o...

Our research reveals the realities of modern adoption. 438 families shared experiences of parenting children living with the impact of early-life trauma. Read the full report: www.thepotatogroup.o...

Published today: Our research report, Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from lives Impacted by Trauma. Based on the experiences of 438 adoptive families, it reveals long-term impact of early trauma and urgent need for better support. Read here: www.thepotatogroup.o...

On Monday, we'll publish our full research report Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from Lives Impacted by Trauma. This is more than a report; it’s a testament to love, courage and commitment from families. Register to receive it: research@thepotatogr...

Encouraging and reassuring to see how much of the adoption and kinship community are giving their backing to the @asgsfprotest.bsky.social campaign. www.asgsfprotest.com

ANNOUNCEMENT || Information re Protest March on Downing Street here and attached asgsfprotest.com/information/ #FundNowOrPayLater #CareNotCuts #ACutTooFar @adoptionuk.bsky.social @kinshipcharity.bsky.social @thepotatogroup.bsky.social @thebelayfoundation.org.uk @cvaauk.bsky.social

Clare Solomons and I were guests on an emergency episode of @aandfpodcast.bsky.social discussing the @asgsfprotest.bsky.social campaign. Thanks for having us, @gayadoptiondad.bsky.social and @alcoates.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/2TiO...

Specialist providers are clear that changes to the ASGSF won’t just reduce the amount of therapy available. They will remove entire treatment options, including those known to be the most effective, from being available at all.

The Potato Group is backing calls for the government to reverse the changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. Please consider signing this petition, and joining us on May 3rd in London. #asgsf

We're publishing research on the challenges faced by families raising traumatised adopted teens & young adults. Based on insights from 438 parents caring for 690 young people, it highlights urgent needs in mental health, education, and social care. tinyurl.com/2kufswe8

Potato Group Set to Publish Research

In May 2024, The Potato Group, in partnership with The Belay Foundation, hosted a unique conference for professionals, presenting the lived experiences of families caring for traumatised adopted children.The title of the conference, Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from Lives Impacted by Trauma, referenced Julie Selwyn’s seminal study for the Department for Education (DfE), Beyond the Adoption Order: Challenges, Interventions and Adoption Disruption (Selwyn et al., 2014). The conferen

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Statement following changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund. www.thepotatogroup.o...

Response to Changes to The Adoption & Special Guardiandship Support Fund (ASGSF)

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is a vital source of therapeutic support for some of our most vulnerable children, teenagers and young adults. For many families, ASGSF funded therapy is the only source of effective therapeutic intervention.Following uncertainty regarding the continuation of the fund, which caused distress and anxiety to thousands of families across England and Wales, the government announced on 14 April that the Fair Access Limit (FAL), representing th

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