Agenda item

The Board will consider the Annual Fostering Report setting out the work undertaken by the fostering service between April 2020 and September 2021.

Contacts:

Simon Brown, Interim Integrated Commissioner

Stewart Horn, Head of Joint Commissioning

Sara Miles, Head of Service (Resources, Improvement and Partnerships) and Tom Brailsford, Service Director (Resources, Improvement and Partnerships) presented an overview of the Annual Fostering Report and highlighted that:

·       The purpose of the report, as set out in regulations, was to inform the Board of the work undertaken by the fostering service between April 2020 and September 2021.

·       In Kirklees the number of children who were Looked After had decreased over the past 18 months.

·       There had been a change in the ages of children looked after in including a significant reduction in children aged under 1 and a significant rise in young people aged over 16.

·       This presented difficulties in recruiting foster carers with the necessary skills to care for older children.

·       In total 489 children were placed with approved foster carers, either through Kirklees fostering or through an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA).

·       Of these, Kirklees fostering provided 308 children with a foster placement and 181 children were Looked After by an IFA carer.

·       54% of all Kirklees children living in foster care were placed within the Kirklees area.

The Corporate Parenting Board were asked to support specific recommendations and areas for improvement which were to:

·       Increase the number of current foster care placements available to children and young people cared for by Kirklees and to reduce the use of external residential and Independent Fostering Agency placements for children.

·       Conduct exit interviews when foster carers leave the service and use this information to inform future service developments.

·       Develop the offer of additional activities and support for fostering families. 

·       Increase the diversity of foster carers to match that of the communities served. 

·       Increase the services ability to meet a wide range of complex needs by developing a broader service offer and an enhanced training programme.  

·       Continue work to improve and enhance the offer for Foster Carers agreeing to Special Guardianship Orders (SGO’s).  

Tom Brailsford highlighted in relation to the retention and recruitment that there had been a net increase of 11 fostering households in the last year. Sara Miles added that improving the conversion rate was a key area for improvement.

Responding a question about the conversion rate, Sara Miles explained in relation to the ‘return of essential information’ (i.e.- medical checks etc…) that this was a complex process and that there was a period of time between receipt of the information and Approval Panel. Sara Miles added that work was to be undertaken with the recruitment team around understanding why potential foster carers do not complete the process.  The Board requested that an update including outline figures  were provided to the Board when this piece of work had progressed. 

The Board welcomed the recommendations to improve and enhance the offer for Foster Carers agreeing to SGO’s, commenting that the new financial arrangements for SGO’s allowed children to stay with families and connected carers which was a better outcome for young people.

Responding to a question about allowances for where children were originally Looked After, Elaine McShane, Service Director - Family Support and Child Protection advised regional work had been undertaken which involved looking at individuals’ circumstances to ensure they were not disadvantaged financially.  It was agreed that the issue of second allowances/part-time work and SGO’s would be explored further in discussion with the Chair of the Board and that the outcomes would be presented to a future meeting of the Board.

Responding to a question around whether it was financially more attractive to Foster a Child rather than adopt one. Elaine McShane advised that adoption was a very different type of permanency placement. The financial package for adoption was considered taking into account a range of different circumstances (i.e.- SEN, sibling groups etc…). It was agreed that the decision-making process in relation to financial support for adoption be explored in an informal meeting.

RESOLVED: The Board noted the Annual Fostering Report and it was agreed that:

1.    An update on understanding why potential foster carers do not complete the recruitment process, along with outline figures be provided to the Board.

2.    The issue of second allowances/part-time work and SGO’s would be explored further in informal discussion with the Chair of the Board and that the outcomes would be presented to a future meeting of the Board.

3.    It was agreed that the decision-making process in relation to financial support for adoption be explored in an informal meeting.