Issue - meetings

Report CS17009

The Care Services Portfolio Holder introduced a report presenting the Foster Service Annual Report 2015/16 which was required to be produced by the fostering agency on an annual basis under the Fostering National Minimum Standards 2011.

The Fostering Service primarily worked to identify and support stable placements for children and young people looked after for whom foster care was the identified plan.  As at 31^st March 2016, there were 281 Bromley children looked after, 174 of whom were placed with foster carers approved and supported by Bromley and 31 with independent fostering agencies.  The remaining children looked after were placed in residential units, residential schools, supported lodgings or in semi-independent accommodation.  The total number of fostering households approved by Bromley as at 31^st March 2016 was 123, which was a decrease of 11 households from the previous year.  A review of foster carer allowances had been undertaken in 2015/16 to identify possible savings, following which the recommended Department for Education weekly maintenance allowance had been adopted. 

Priorities for the 2016/17 financial year included continuing to work to recruit and retain high quality foster carers to ensure that sufficient local placements were available to meet the needs of Bromley children looked after.  This would include work with internal and external stakeholders to improve practice and opportunities for foster carers to be actively involved in foster carer recruitment.

In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Social Care: Care and Resources confirmed that Bromley worked to recruit foster carers across a distance of up to 20 miles away from the Borough.  There continued to be difficulty in securing independent foster carer placements due to the high number of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Kent and the South East, and there had recently been recruitment drives for areas of particular shortage, including foster carers for adolescents.

Members were concerned at the disparity between the number of foster carers recruited against the number of initial enquiries, and further information on the assessment process would be provided to Members following the meeting.  A Co-opted Member suggested that former foster carers be approached to return to the role, and the Committee recommended that this should be included as an element of future recruitment drives.  The Head of Social Care: Care and Resources explained that records of former foster carers could only be held for three years, but that the potential to recruit former foster carers would be further explored.  Another Member suggested that the Local Authority advertise in Jobcentres for prospective foster carers. 

The Vice-Chairman underlined the importance of providing the right level of support to foster carers in engaging young people in their care who were not in education, employment or training (NEET).  The Head of Social Care: Care and Resources reported that the Executive Working Party on Child Safeguarding and Corporate Parenting had established a Task and Finish Group to look at the support provided to foster carers of children with complex needs or challenging behaviour and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11