Parents’ and Carers’ Support Needs

A new report published by the Department for Education on 24 September 2026 explores the experiences and support needs of adoptive parents and special guardians in England.

Drawing on interviews with 84 families and survey data from adoptive parents, the Family Routes report describes both close, positive family relationships and the pressures families can experience, particularly during adolescence. Difficulties accessing services often added to those pressures, affecting parents’ and carers’ wellbeing, relationships and working lives.

Families valued trauma-informed parenting approaches, but these did not replace the need for timely specialist support. The report recommends clearer information and advocacy, better support in schools, access to counselling for parents and carers, and suitable respite provision.

For adoption support providers, the findings offer a useful opportunity to reflect on how services listen to families, respond to changing needs and support the wellbeing of parents and carers alongside their children.

Read the full report on GOV.UK.