Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services

Further to Minute No. 35 of the Cabinet and Commissioners’ Decision Making meeting held on 11th July, 2016, consideration was given to a report, presented by the Deputy Leader, concerning the proposal to improve the care experience for children in the Rotherham Borough area by ensuring, wherever possible, that they are looked after, in the Borough area, in a foster family environment. The report stated that the formal consultation period of six weeks had been held during July and August 2016, with foster carers, regarding the rationale and options for a revised scheme, in advance of the scheme’s proposed implementation during October, 2016. This revised scheme and ‘sufficiency strategy’ for foster care in Rotherham is based on providing financial incentive, good quality support and training.

The scheme’s purpose is for the investment in improving the service offer to foster carers to facilitate attracting additional carers to foster for Rotherham and also to support the retention and development of existing foster carers.  In addition, this scheme is an important enabler for the Council in meeting sufficiency of placement provision for Looked after Children and ensuring that, wherever possible, this provision is in a Rotherham foster family environment. Alongside other initiatives, this scheme will enable the reduction of overall placement costs and avoid use of more expensive Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) and residential placements.

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Board discussed the following issues:-

: it was confirmed that the ‘sufficiency strategy’ for this service is intended to be a short to medium-term campaign, rather than a long-term campaign;

: service development is happening against a background of an increasing number of Looked After Children who are in the care of this Council;

: the historic preference in Rotherham to have a small number of children allocated to a foster carer;

: after incurring costs initially, it is expected that the scheme will achieve financial savings in the medium term;

: currently, this Council has fewer than the average number of registered foster carers, when compared with other similar local authorities;

: some local authorities have allowed Council Tax reductions for foster carers, although that issue has not been considered by this Council;

: the alternatives of the placement of vulnerable children either in (i) residential homes, or (ii) with foster carers living within the Rotherham Borough area, or (iii) the use of out-of-Authority placements;

: there will continue to be children’s residential homes provided within the Rotherham Borough area, although there will be service changes and improvements;

: ensuring the quality of foster care;  the impact on issues such as the educational attainment of fostered children and their access to further education, training or employment and apprenticeships, after leaving school;

: the ‘sufficiency strategy’ intends to improve foster care for children and to ensure that a larger proportion of the fostered children remain resident within the Rotherham Borough area, instead of being placed with out-of-Authority carers;

: ensuring that foster carers, registered with this Authority, share the Council’s moral sense of purpose;

: obtaining and using best practice from other local authorities;

: future analysis and monitoring of the foster care service and of the financial savings which the sufficiency strategy expects to achieve;

: the proposed increase in payments to foster carers will ensure that foster carers are not disadvantaged in terms of other state benefits they may receive;

:  recruitment of a Marketing Officer to assist in the recruitment of more foster carers.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the following proposals detailed within the submitted report be approved insofar as this Management Board is concerned:-

(a) the proposed foster carer payment scheme, including short break foster carers’ fees;

(b) the implementation of the amended relevant policy (on fees and allowances) as set out in appendix 1 of the report;

(c) the implementation of quality support and training as part of the improved offer for foster carers.

(3) That appropriate monitoring and review be undertaken, beginning as soon as practicable, of the recruitment of additional foster carers, to ensure that the appropriate targets are being achieved.

(4) That the appropriate officers examine the possible use of a Council Tax reduction or discount as an additional benefit for foster carers registered with this Council.

(5) That the appropriate officers examine whether the proposed payment of fees and allowances to individual foster carers may have a detrimental impact upon their receipt of other state benefits.

(6) That a further report, updating the progress of this scheme, be submitted to a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board during April, 2017.