SOCIAL SERVICES, HOUSING
AND BENEFITS SELECT COMMITTEE – 7 OCTOBER 2003
SUPPORT FOR FOSTER CARERS
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO
HOLDER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES AND HOUSING
The Committee has expressed a
commitment over the past two years to improve the financial and practical
support package to foster carers in order to maintain existing placements and
secure new placements for children and young people looked after on the Isle of
Wight.
This paper has been requested by the
Select Committee to update on current arrangements for foster carer support.
To debate and make
recommendations as to the future development of support to foster carers.
Over the last few years, at
national and regional level, foster care recruitment and retention has been
problematic. On the Island there has
been some difficulty in securing local foster care placements, which can meet
the diverse needs of the children.
The reasons for this are partly due
to the increasingly complex needs of children and young people in public care
and the growth in independent fostering agencies.
These agencies have been able to
offer more attractive financial terms and practical support.
There have been particular difficulties
in providing placements for young people with more challenging anti social
behaviour including offending behaviour and self harm.
The numbers of foster carers on
the Isle of Wight able to offer placements for children with more complex needs
has decreased, which has meant such children and young people are frequently
placed in costly mainland placements.
This changing local context
together with feedback from foster carers led to a renewed interest and
commitment by the Council to provide a range of support that would not only
serve to maintain and sustain existing placements but also to attract new
foster carers.
To have taken no action would have
led to a depletion in the range of existing foster carers, with more Looked
After Children being placed on the mainland at some distance from their
families and commitments.
In April 2003 the Council agreed
to a significant budget increase to support the work of Island foster
carers. The support package includes a
range of initiatives and developments, which it is hoped will strengthen the
overall assistance available to foster carers.
The package includes :
Ø
The development of a multi-disciplinary intervention team,
which will include foster carers.
Ø Education
support for children out of school.
Ø Respite /
holiday facility for foster carers and their families.
Ø
Baby sitting service.
Ø
Counselling sessions through an independent organisation.
Ø
Additional support workers.
Ø
Transport assistance for larger family groups.
Ø
Social events for foster carers.
Ø
Recognition of foster carers who undertake additional
training.
Ø
Psychology support.
Within the Children’s Service Plan
2004 / 2005 there is a continued commitment to maintain placement choice for
children in public care through the recruitment and retention of suitable
foster carers.
The Department of Health Quality
Protects objectives refers to the need to ensure that children are securely
attached to carers capable of providing safe and effective care for the
duration of childhood (Objective 1).
In order to achieve this, services
are being developed to continue to support children in need and their families
to prevent family breakdown. Priority
must also be given to reducing the numbers of changes of placement for Looked
After Children and to maximise the contribution adoption can make to provide
permanent families for children in appropriate cases.
The Isle of Wight Council is
currently responsible for 163 Looked After Children.
RELEVANT PERFORMANCE TARGETS ARE :
A1 Percentage of children
looked after were three or more placements during one year.
D38 Percentage of children
looked after continuously for at least 4 years who had been in their foster
placement for at least 2 years.
Numbers of
looked after children in placements outside the Council area.
Number of
looked after children in placements 20 miles or more from the Council area.
Carers have been consulted in
terms of their identification of required support needs and in the production
of the support plan.
There is a need to continue the
current £250 K funding for the current support programme. During the coming year consideration is
being given to the development of a treatment foster care programme to enable
children with attachment problems, offending behaviour and other high
dependency and complex needs to be placed in well trained and supported foster
placements on the Island.
There continues to be an increasing
need to provide respite placements both to families and foster carers, to
support them in the long term care of the children.
In addition the overall support
package for foster carers will need to be reviewed in terms of the local foster
care economy and the Council’s reliance on the independent sector. Further proposals will be developed in the
light of current prioritisation discussions in respect of the Council’s budget
2004 / 2005.
There will be a report presented
to the Select Committee in due course.
3rd October 2001 Social Services &
Housing Select Committee
20th December 2001 Social Services & Housing Select Committee
4th September 2002 Social Services & Housing Select Committee
6th November 2002 Social Services & Housing Select
Committee
Contact Name
Jimmy Doyle
Head of Children’s Services
Social Services Headquarters
Telephone 520600
Mary Brimson
Service Manager
Telephone 525790
E-Mail [email protected]
Sarah Pepys
Team Manager – Fostering and
Adoption Services
Telephone 566011
E-Mail [email protected]
GORDON
KENDALL
Portfolio
Holder for Social Services and Housing