Minutes:
The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Cllr Richard Morris, Cllr Adam Kent, Cllr Mike Rouse, Cllr Kyle Daisley, Cllr Andy Roberts, and Cllr Emma Marshall.
The motion was moved by Cllr Richard Morris and seconded by Cllr Emma Marshall, who both spoke in favour of it.
In the ensuing debate, the following points were raised:
· Foster carers provided a safe, loving environment for vulnerable children which allowed children to adapt and thrive. The aim of the motion was to encourage councillors as corporate parents to help build that body of carers to provide this vital service and become advocates for and support the campaign for foster care across Worcestershire. 34% of looked after children were in foster care and of those 33% had been placed in external placements. The Council’s foster care team were particularly focused on finding foster carers for teenage children and respite support placements
· In April 2022, the Council had 200 approved foster carers and 224 approved kinship foster carers compared to the 890 children who were in care. 466 children were awaiting a foster placement. Children in foster care had better outcomes than children in residential care. Foster carers could make a huge difference to a child’s life and the outcomes could be very rewarding. Foster carers were provided with opportunities for development and training and were be able to join support groups. Statistically care leavers were more likely not to go into further education and were more likely to become homeless. This did not have to be the case because foster carers could make a significant impact
· A particular issue associated with out of county placements in residential homes was children running away from home because they had been taken away from their local area which made them very vulnerable
· Council should consider drawing on the expertise/research of Professor Peter Unwin from the University of Worcester in relation to the potential role of disabled foster carers, particularly for teenage Looked after Children
· Anyone could become a foster carer, all that was needed was to provide a child with a loving safe and caring home
· The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families emphasised the importance of these types of motions at Council. Debates at previous council meetings had recently indirectly led to foster carers receiving an increase in pay by 2% for the whole county and for carers of teenagers a further 2%
· The recent communication regarding the Foster Care Fortnight would be recirculated to all councillors.
On being put to the vote, the substantive motion which was agreed unanimously.
RESOLVED “Foster Care Fortnight is between 10 to 23 May this year. The annual campaign aims to raise the profile of fostering and to show how foster care transforms lives. It is also the UK’s biggest foster carer recruitment campaign.
Foster carers provide a safe, loving environment for vulnerable children. With their love and support, the children in their care quickly adapt and often thrive. Put simply, foster carers help to make a real difference to vulnerable children in society.
This motion seeks to get councillors (in their role of corporate parents) to help build the body of people who carry out this vital service.
Foster Care Fortnight is the UK’s biggest foster care awareness raising campaign, delivered by leading fostering charity, The Fostering Network. Established for almost 20 years, the campaign showcases the commitment, passion, and dedication of foster carers. It also supports fostering services to highlight the need for more foster carers. Nationally, thousands of new foster families are needed every year to care for children, with the greatest need being for foster carers for older children, sibling groups, disabled children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
It is proposed that Council agree that councillors make efforts, using their connections, network and social media, to engage with people in their division to emphasise the role of foster care, its importance and how they can make further enquiries.”