Decision details

Date of Decision:

March 15^th 2023

Title:

Increase in Government National Minimum fostering allowance rate and impact on to RMBC rates.

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Nathan Heath – Acting Strategic Director, Children & Young Peoples Service

Details of Specific Cabinet Delegation

or Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

Cabinet Fostering Fees and Allowances 2022 – October 2022

Recommendations

That approval be given to make the following changes to improve the financial offer for Foster Carers to support retention and recruitment of Foster Carers:

1.    To change the service model to provide a financial package for foster carers based on the needs of the child/ young person as well as the skills of the foster carer

2.    To make the following changes to the fees and allowances that foster carers receive:

a)    100% of skills payment to be paid for all children placed

b)    Increase to foster carer mileage rate from 40p per mile to align to employee rates, currently 45 pence per mile

c)    Agreement to the revised Day Care payment

d)    Uplift of the skills payments aligned to the annual inflationary uplift in the national fostering maintenance allowance

e)    Agreement to the complex care payment allowance e.g., for Step down to Foster Care and Emergency Foster Care for Teenagers in crisis

Decision:

1.    That the skills payments and maintenance allowances are increased in line with the NMA rates per age band for 2023/24.

2.    That Foster Carer Skills payments are increased in line with the NMA uplift of 12.43% in-line with the Cabinet’s approval October 2022.

Reasons for the Decision:

The Government set a National Minimum Allowance (NMA) for weekly child maintenance fostering rates based on age bands, these rates are increased annually.  The 2023/24 national increase has been set at 12.43%.  In 2021/22 and 2022/23 the national increase was 1.76% & 2.31% respectively.

This report considers the available options in increasing Fostering, Special Guardianship Orders (SGO), Child Arrangement Orders (CAO), Adoption Allowance (AA), respite, day care, and Fostering Skills payments in line with the governments recommended minimum uplift.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Option 2 – not recommended –

·       do not apply an uplift to allowances which could bring about legal challenge

·       Against the Cabinet approval do not increase fostering skills payments

.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Increase in Government National Minimum fostering allowance rate and impact on to RMBC rates.

Report Author: Neil Hardwick – Finance Manager CYPS