Town hall ‘must find more people to foster children’
KIRKLEES Council continues to struggle to recruit foster carers – but it has reduced its spending on agency workers.
It costs the authority on average £605 a week to foster a child. The figure includes operational costs.
That compares with paying £780 a week to agency workers.
Fees depend on the age of a child and what needs they may have.
The council is striving to build up its base of foster carers.
Currently it has 30 prospective carers on its recruitment pathway.
But it says recruiting foster carers “is both a local and national challenge”.
Addressing concerns raised by Conservative councillor Michael Watson (Denby Dale) at a meeting of full council, Clr Viv Kendrick (Lab, He ckmondw ike) said national charity the Fostering Network had highlighted that a child comes into care requiring a foster family every 20 minutes. “It still staggers me though I’ve known that for quite a while.
“Over 7,000 new families will be needed nationally to ensure that there are appropriate placements available in the next 12 months alone.”
She added that the Fostering Network has called on government to commit to a national campaign for more people
We do need to look at investing a bit of money in how we promote fostering within
Kirklees
to come forward as foster carers. Foster placements in the borough can be broken down into: internal with Kirklees Council (211); children in care with connected people, such as relatives (99); independent (157); outside the Kirklees district (107).
Clr Watson said he hoped the council could make a bigger push for new carers to join its network.
“I’m not seeing a great deal that’s selling the advantages of it. Could there be a pitch that hits home what the benefits of fostering might be? There’s not a lot of information landing in our area for people to see the benefits.”
In a plea to her fellow members in the council chamber at Huddersfield Town Hall, Clr Kendrick said: “We all talk about being corporate parents.
“Let’s get out there and find some more foster carers. We do need to look at investing a bit of money in how we promote fostering within Kirklees.”