Adapting in Uncertainty: A Psychologist’s personal reflections on changes to the ASGSF and what comes next.

There has been a wave of emotion following the recent changes to the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) announced by UK Government on 14th April. For many families and professionals, this announcement was more than just policy change, it has represented a relational rupture. Confusion, worry, and anger has followed, and I’ve felt that too.

I’ve felt guilty about my default coping style, believing I should be doing more or speaking out. The truth is, some of us turn inwards at times of great change and emotional upheaval. Not to avoid but to create space. We have a need for quiet, solitude and stillness before we can begin to make sense and move forwards. This isn’t disengagement, it’s a form of self preservation. A way to self regulate when the world feels too loud, too fast paced, too uncertain.

Taking time to retreat, to think, to feel isn’t weakness. It’s the nervous system’s way of restoring balance before you can engage with complexity. It’s taken me a few weeks but I’m getting there.

This blog post is my first step. A space to note down my processing, my reflections and an invitation to think together about how we respond, what we’ve learned, and what might come next. I certainly don’t profess to hold all the answers but I’m ready to be a part of the conversation.

Sitting with the emotion

Something you’d think would come easy to me as a Clinical Psychologist, but my gosh, it’s been uncomfortable. I haven’t been present for my young children, I’ve been distant from friends, healthy eating and exercise have gone out the window. My mind has been busy and loud. All made worse by doom scrolling late into the evening and early hours of the morning.

As the storm started to relent, something else started to emerge. What can I still do? How can I adapt the way I work to continue meeting families where they are, even in this new reality?

I am truly passionate, invested and committed to working in this field. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve already navigated several changing paths, service restructures and cuts to funding to be here doing this work. Sometimes at great personal expense. But I’ve gone through change before, it never gets easier, but I know I can come out the other side.

Reflection on the bigger picture – was the system really working before?

As the immediate emotions settle, it’s easier to acknowledge that perhaps the system hasn’t been working as well as we wanted it to.

There’s a growing awareness that elements of the previous model were being stretched or even misused. I don’t think this has been intentional, it’s multifaceted and is associated with gaps in provision, lack of knowledge, appropriate guidance and planning.

My own experience is often being asked to work with families and respond at times of crisis, when this could have been anticipated and worked with proactively.

There is a wealth of research and information about the long term impact of trauma, attachment across the lifespan and information about instability and family breakdown. We can use this to think about how we shift the focus upstream. How do we support families in a proactive, anticipatory way before challenges and crisis emerge. This is not to eradicate challenge, life is full of ups and downs that we cannot always protect our children from. But, we can better resource parents and families. We can help them drop anchor during their child’s emotional storm and give the strength of community that helps them feel supported to hold on.

Not every family needs highly specialist, intensive therapy

There is compelling evidence that shows relational, community based or brief therapeutic interventions can be highly effective when targeted appropriately. I am a big believer in the ‘right intervention at the right time’.

Long term, specialist therapy certainly has it’s place but it isn’t always the best or only answer. We need to think creatively and cost effectively. Matching intervention to actual individual needs rather than assuming one size fits all.

This could be an opportunity to redress the balance and expand access to a wider range of support that can be impactful and create meaningful change for families.

Acceptance, flexibility and a touch of resistance

In the face of these changes, I’ve been thinking a lot about acceptance. Not as a resignation to the ASGSF changes but as a grounded stance that helps me move forwards. Acceptance has allowed me to acknowledge what is within my control and I’ve been able to refocus my energy on what I can influence.

Acceptance opens the door to flexibility and adaptability. New ways of thinking, collaborating and working together. We need the strength of community when the ground beneath us feels like it’s shifting.

As an NVR practitioner, reflecting upon my own emotions and responses has brought up the idea of resistance. Not in a reactive or combative sense but as a conscious refusal to be pulled into unhelpful dynamics.

Polarisation and toxicity often play out in stressed, strained systems leading to a perpetual state of division, blame and shame. I’m working hard to resist the pull towards cynicism. I will not perpetuate narratives of despair and helplessness.

So, in this moment of uncertainty, I choose hope and belief that in the face of these abrupt changes, we are capable of building something better.

It isn’t going to be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.