About the Board

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (ASGLB) closed at the end of December 2022, following a decision made by the Secretary of State for Education. The ASGLB played a crucial role in providing leadership to the adoption system and supporting children leaving care under a Special Guardianship Order. The recommendations of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, published in July 2022, called for a reset of the whole system, and so it was decided to close the ASGLB as it had fulfilled its remit.

The Board was established in 2014 as the Adoption Leadership Board (ALB), to provide leadership to the adoption system and drive improvements in performance. In 2018 the Board became the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (ASGLB), expanding its remit to cover previously looked after children subject to adoption or special guardianship orders.

During its lifetime, the Board produced good practice guidance, investigated key issues and regularly provided informative data on adoption and special guardianship. The Board also supported the development of Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs), which work collectively and with the wider sector to deliver the National Adoption Strategy, supported by government funding, and will be part of the ongoing structural improvements to the sector to deliver change. The quarterly data collection and publication will continue on behalf of the sector, and the Adopter and Special Guardian Reference Groups will continue to provide key sounding boards as the DfE takes forward its care reforms.

Thank you to everyone who supported the ASGLB.