Agenda item

The Committee has requested a report on the fostering service. 

Cllr Sean Gaul, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, Lisa Lyons, Director of Children’s Services, Delia Mann, Deputy Director of Children’s Social Care, Charlotte Davey, Assistant Director, and Julie McNally, Service Manager: Fostering, have been invited to present the report and to answer the Committee’s questions. 

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Sean Gaul, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, Lisa Lyons, Director of Children’s Services, Charlotte Davey, Assistant Director, and Julie McNally, Service Manager: Fostering, were invited to present the report and to answer the Committee’s questions. 

The Assistant Director outlined the fostering service’s scope, covering mainstream fostering, kinship care, relief carers, and special guardianship assessments. Kinship carers, often relatives or friends, commonly took on care roles unexpectedly. The service saw a reduction in registered foster carers in 2024/25, mainly due to retirements and adoptions. In response, a Fostering Improvement Board was formed to address standards. Persistent challenges remained in recruiting carers for adolescents, sibling groups, and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Recruitment, training, and support had been prioritised, with successes including bringing children formerly placed out of county back to Oxfordshire families.

The Director addressed the specific difficulties faced by the Council in fostering, noting that the county, like others nationally, had experienced a decline in foster carers. Only children with complex needs were entering care, necessitating careful matching. The Council was found to have fewer fostering and residential beds compared to other areas, a situation partly attributed to higher property costs, which made it more difficult to attract independent providers. Nevertheless, the service’s offer was described as highly competitive, with remuneration and support packages comparable to those in London, alongside a robust training programme. Additional options included fostering-friendly policies, flexible and respite care, and enhanced support for kinship carers and those under special guardianship orders.

Concerns were raised regarding the fact that nearly twice as many foster carers were leaving the Oxfordshire system as were joining, and the implications this held for future recruitment. The 2024/25 report indicated a high proportion of carers over the age of 50, with many departing for personal reasons such as retirement and financial pressures. Efforts to attract younger carers had been undertaken, including locality campaigns, word-of-mouth referrals, and financial incentives. The appointment of a marketing officer aimed to address the recruitment gap and the shortfall in provision for specific groups.

It was clarified that kinship carers had always existed, but recent government recognition highlighted that their support had been lacking nationally. The Council had responded by establishing a dedicated team for kinship carers, offering bespoke support and matching fostering allowances for those transitioning to permanent arrangements. This initiative had led to a significant increase in special guardianships.

It was explained that “personal circumstances” as a reason for foster carers leaving the service encompassed a wide range of factors, not limited to kinship carers. These included retirement, adoption, and other individual situations. While conversions from kinship to permanent arrangements had not significantly contributed to deregistrations in 2024/25, it was anticipated that this trend might become more apparent in future years as more carers transitioned to permanent roles.

Further clarification was provided regarding the meaning of “standards of care” in relation to foster carer deregistrations. It was emphasised that this term covered various scenarios, such as carers developing health issues, experiencing increased stress, or undergoing significant life changes like divorce or relocation. Such circumstances sometimes led to discussions about whether carers should continue, alter the type of care they provided, or cease fostering, with the child’s best interests always being paramount. It was not simply a matter of carers suddenly being deemed unsuitable.

The training and support available for foster carers, particularly in managing children with significant mental health needs, were outlined. Foster carers received trauma-informed training delivered by the clinical team, Attach, and completed skills training addressing the complexities of caring for vulnerable children. Carers were expected to keep their training up to date and had access to regular newsletters, support groups, one-to-one support, and reflective sessions. The training offer was extended to both in-house and kinship carers.

Carers received regular supervision and reflective sessions with their allocated social worker, and the deregistration process spanned several months, including assessments and panel reviews during which reasons for leaving were discussed. The service maintained ongoing conversations with carers to support them and gather insights, which informed the data on reasons for departure.

In conclusion, the Cabinet Member highlighted ongoing efforts to improve the fostering offer and attract more foster parents. He referenced discussions about introducing a dedicated on-call helpline for foster carers and exploring the ambitious idea of a council tax offer, which would require collaboration with district councils. The importance of councillors acting as advocates for the fostering service was emphasised, with a suggestion that a simple summary of the package be provided to members to enable confident promotion. These steps were intended to strengthen support for carers and enhance recruitment across Oxfordshire.

The Committee AGREED to recommendations under the following headings:

• Committing to fostering friendly Oxfordshire and continuing to work with district councils and other key stakeholders to achieve this
• exploring in more detail the possibility of a council tax-related offer for foster carers.