Agenda item

Report of the Director of Childrens Services

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services which presented the Coventry Fostering Service Annual Report 2022/23. The report informed the Cabinet Member of the work undertaken by the Fostering Service between April 2022 and March 2023.

The performance of Coventry’s Fostering Service was critical to the delivery of high-quality local placements that could meet the diverse needs of Coventry’s looked after children.

The report summarised the activity of the service over the past 12 months. It highlighted the work of the service to recruit, assess and support foster carers and the success in retaining foster carers over the past 12 months. In addition, the report detailed the work with connected persons foster carers as part of the Coventry Family Valued Project and the start of the Fostering Excellence Project which would build on the previous success of the Fostering Transformation Project between 2016 and 2021.

The Fostering Service had grown significantly over the last few years. the Fostering Transformation Project which took place between April 2016 and March 2021 was successful in increasing the number of occupied internal mainstream fostering placements from 149 to 266 during that period. The work of the Connected Persons Team had also grown since 2017, initially as a result of improvements in the consistency of practice in supporting connected persons households as foster carers. Since April 2021, these improvements in support to Connected Foster Carers and Special Guardians had been strengthened by becoming a key workstream of the Coventry Family Valued Programme. The aim of Children’s Services was that as many children who become looked after as possible, could be supported to live with a connected carer. Around half of all children looked after in Coventry were cared for by a fostering household approved by the Fostering Service.

At the end of March 2023, there were 726 children in the care of Coventry Children’s services. Of these, 499 children were placed in foster care, with 362 being placed with Coventry foster carers. This equated to 73% of those children in foster care, an increase from 69% in March 2022. 137 children were placed with independent fostering agencies which was a sharp decrease from the 163 in these placements on 31 March 2022. Of the total number of looked after children 59.8% were placed with Coventry foster carers. This was similar to that at the end of March 2021; although the overall number of looked after children was impacted by the rise of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children placed in supported accommodation in Coventry through the National Transfer Scheme.

It was reported that post covid, recruitment continued to be a challenge locally and nationally and it was considered that the cost of living crisis would probably have an impact on potential foster carers. There had also been a societal shift in that people did not generally stay at home and with both partners working, it made it more difficult.

Members noted that a bid had been made to be part of the regional care cooperative and the outcome was expected by the end of the January 2024.

Work would continue on the newly issued kinship strategy which aimed to enhance overall support for carers. Central to the strategy was a pilot involving 8 areas that would provide some kinship carers, looking after children previously in care, with equivalent allowance to foster carers.

Having considered the report and the representations made at the meeting, the Cabinet Member indicated that whilst it was understandable that the pilots were looking to standardise financial support, it was important to recognise that there were other forms of support that was equally as important such as mental health, trauma, etc.

The Cabinet Member thanked all officers, and everyone involved for all their hard work and dedication into the progress made.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member accepts the Fostering Service Annual Report 2022/23.