Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Children Families and Culture submitted a report addressing the changes to the foster care payment system. The report focussed on the three main issues:

1. To afford family and friends carers the opportunity to qualify for the payment of the fostering fee.

Currently family and friends who are approved as foster carers are paid the fostering allowance but are not paid a fostering fee which is reserved to ‘mainstream carers’ as a reward for opening their homes to unrelated children. A High Court judgement ruled against this sort of differentiation and Local Authorities are now required to ensure that any fee or ‘reward element’ of a payment system must be open to all carers.

As a result of this ruling it is now necessary to develop new criteria for the payment of a fee. It is proposed that this is best done by the introduction of a payment for training and skill development.

2.  To promote training and development for foster carers.

Previously all carers who were approved to take unrelated children received the full fee on taking their first placement. It is proposed that on taking a first placement a fee that is equivalent to 50% of the full fee will be paid in recognition of having completed the ‘Skills to Foster’ training with the other 50% of the fee being earned by completing induction training. The full fee would be maintained thereafter by undertaking regular training that consolidated developed skills and knowledge. Those wishing not to undertake this level of training would remain on the 50% fee level.

This Payment for Skills system would be open to all carers and would thereby not only comply with the High Court ruling but incentivise training and development.

3.  To put in place an enhanced fee to underpin the development of a specialist foster care scheme.

The Fostering Service has identified a need and an opportunity to recruit and develop a small group of foster carers who would be trained and supported to offer placements to young people who have multiple and complex needs and who are likely to be otherwise placed in Independent Fostering Agency placements or residential homes. A ‘team around the child’ approach would be taken.

The fee paid to these carers would recognise their specialist skills that would be developed through an extensive training and development programme and their availability to the young person.

Delegated decisions:

That approval be given to introduce the new payment scheme in full.

Reason for the decision:

This would address all 3 issues in that it would assure compliance, incentivise training & development and allow the development of the specialist scheme.

Other option considered and rejected:

1.   Reject the recommendations.

2.   Maintain the current payment system and include all Family and Friends Foster Carers.

3.   Introduce the new payment for skills without developing the specialist foster care scheme.