Agenda item

Paul Rudd, Head of Service- Future for Families will provide information on the Quarter 1 fostering data to the Board

The Head of Looked after children and Corporate Parenting Board provided the 2022-2023 quarterly report in relation to fostering in Middlesbrough for the period April- June 2022.

The Head of service provided a table with key data, including for example, number of initial enquiries, number of fostering families and information on number of children placed within in-house fostering and Independent fostering agencies (IFAs). Key statistics included, were as follows:

 

Number of enquiries - Quarter 1 (22/23)  63 (28 at Quarter 4 21/22)

Number of initial visits – Quarter 1 (22/23) 5 (14 at Quarter 4 21/22)

Number of children placed in-house fostering- Quarter 1 (22/23) 191 ( 180 at quarter 4 21/22)

IFA – Quarter 1 (22/23) 145 (same as quarter 4 21/22)

 

In terms of what was going well the Board were advised of the following:

•        Middlesbrough now have the highest number of children placed with in-house fostering families.

March 2019 IFA 154 Inhouse 124 - 44%

March 2020 IFA 160 Inhouse 158 - 50%

March 2021 IFA 163 Inhouse 164 - 50 %

March 2022 IFA 145 Inhouse 180-  55%

June 2022 IFA 145 Inhouse 191 - 57 %

•        There has been an increase in fostering enquiries due to the sustained marketing campaign; to date. Middlesbrough have received 63 enquiries which exceeds our target of 46 by the end of July 2022.

•        88% of Foster Carer reviews were held within timescales

•        No connected carers assessments have gone out of the 24 week timescale

•        Middlesbrough have timescales and practice guidance on connected assessments making them more robust and child-focused

•        Middlesbrough have a stable team and two agency workers have now been recruited into permanent posts.

•        The introduction of Birth Child, Therapeutic Parenting Support Groups, and a Men Who Foster Group are underway

•        10 workers within the team are undertaking a12 month programme of Trauma-Informed Practice training with John Scadden.

•        Trauma-Informed supervision sessions with foster carers, Children looked after social workers, and Education and supervising social workers have been introduced to support fragile placements.

•        Management oversight and grip continues to increase and is supporting the improvement of practice and compliance across the service.

•        The Pilot Constellation for the Mockingbird Project is in place and due to launch in September.

The Head of Service advised that there were concerns regarding the following:

 

•        Connected Carer Referrals have increased by 33% due to influx of children coming into the care of the Local authority, which has increased workload for social worker, creating pressure on timescales and performance. This has seen a rise in 8 week extensions and tasks not completed in 16 weeks.

•         While initial enquiries have increased many enquirers do not progress often choosing to progress with an Independent fostering agency (IFA ) due in part to the current financial offer.

•        In June a fostering family, long-term matched with 3 Middlesbrough children, transferred to an IFA at a considerable long-term cost to the LA; in addition, another fostering family has registered their intention to transfer to an IFA to improve their financial situation.

 

In terms of foster carers transferring to IFAs, the Head of Service outlined that at present Middlesbrough pay newly approved carers £0 per week and a banding payment can only be awarded once carers have completed their Training Support and Development Standards, usually at the point of their first review (12 months after approval) IFA’s pay a full weekly rate per child from the day of approval recognising the crucial and professional role that carers play in caring for and supporting our children looked after.

 

The current financial package offered by Middlesbrough cannot compete with that offered by IFA’s and is hindering our campaign to recruit and retain our fostering families.

 

Despite this, it was encouraging to see that there is no shortage of interest in fostering, and Children’s services were looking at Middlesbrough’s financial offer and a report would be submitted to the Executive for formal approved later in the year.

 

Finally the Board were advised of the plan to increase foster carers:

 

•        Middlesbrough aim to be able to meet the needs of 70% of our looked-after children through in-house fostering provision by the end of 2024 and need to recruit a substantial number of fostering families to achieve this.

•        Middlesbrough aim to review our financial offer to foster carers in order to complete with IFA’s and support our campaign to ‘keep Middlesbrough children with Middlesbrough Carers’.

•        We are seeking support from an agency social worker, to relieve pressure on the team and service. To continue to ensure that children’s permanency under connected carers remit remains timely and robust.

•        The aim is that with increased and sustained marketing activity throughout 2022 the initial enquires will increase to 200 in 2023 which should result in 20 fostering families being approved in 2023.

 

Following the presentation, the Chair outlined that if possible all councillors should promote fostering through their local communities and social media platforms. There was concern amongst the Board surrounding the financial offer provided by IFAs, however under the current financial situation, they could see the benefits to foster families, despite adding extra challenges on the local authority. The Director also added that the IFAs do not offer the same level as support to foster carers as the local authority so it was hoped the marketing campaign would help to raise that level of knowledge.

 

The Director of Children Service’s also advised the Board that they had been unsuccessful in recruiting a foster cater to represent the Corporate Parenting Board, however further correspondence would be undertaken with contacts.

AGREED- That the information be noted.