Agenda item

To receive an update on the Fostering Strategy in Gwynedd in the context of the National Fostering Framework.

a)    To accept the report and to note the information.

b)    To recommend that the Department invites foster carers and a child to the Corporate Parent training that will be held in the future.

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families gave a foreword to the report, noting that it was a pleasure to present an update on Gwynedd's Fostering Strategy. He took advantage of the opportunity to give thanks for the input received to develop this strategy locally and nationally; and to thank the fostering families for their exceptional and dedicated work. It was added that the Head of Gwynedd's Children and Supporting Families Service led on the regional strategy on behalf of the authorities and was a member of the national steering group.

 

The report was submitted by the Senior Operational Manager - Care Resources, noting that it was a follow up to a report previously presented to the Committee on the National Fostering Strategy. It was further noted that a National team had been established as an extension of the National Adoption Service which would continue to provide focus on this work. It was reported that the six regional Managers conveyed the messages locally and ensured that the work programme was progressing within their regions and counties. 

 

The fostering situation in Gwynedd was reported, noting that the need for new placements varied from year to year; for this reason, attracting new foster carers was one of the main aims of the fostering framework. The purpose of the fostering service in Gwynedd was to provide a safe and happy home for Gwynedd's children and the team's priorities were highlighted in order to meet the purpose.

 

It was reported that there were ten social workers within the team. Four now focused on the kinship foster carers and provided a clear focus on the work, while the other six social workers supported and assessed general foster carers. It was noted that the Fostering Team Manager acted as the Fostering Development Manager across the north region on some days of the week, and as a result, two Practice Leaders led on both work areas. It was added that a Regional Marketing Officer had been appointed, who was employed by Gwynedd and served the six authorities across the north. The Officer would undertake further work on developing a recruitment and marketing strategy across the region.

 

It was added that it was important to find out how many carers would be needed to fulfil the needs of children in Gwynedd. The Fostering Team Manager added that Gwynedd needed to look at achieving a 25% increase in foster carers in order to remain in a stable position; this showed how vital the recruitment activities were.

 

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:-

 

·         The Unit was thanked for their good work and appreciation was expressed to the foster parents.

·         It was thought that Foster Wales' branding was eye catching and stood out on social media.

·         The team's hard work in responding to the recruitment challenge was acknowledged and the appointment of the Regional Marketing Officer was welcomed. An observation was made on the slight reduction in the number of carers due to retirements, but that it was encouraging to hear about the marketing and recruitment work being undertaken.

·         It was asked whether it was more difficult to find foster parents to foster older children, for example, teenagers compared to younger children, and whether there was a campaign to attract foster parents for older children. It was also asked whether it was more difficult to find Welsh speaking foster parents and whether there was a specific recruitment process for Welsh speaking children.

·         It was asked whether there were new recruitment ideas as a result of being part of the National strategy.

·         It was stated that there was a cluster of foster carers around the Bala area who were supportive of each other and had developed very naturally. It was wondered whether there was room to replicate this in other areas. Some members wished to receive an update on this in future.

·         It was reported that the application process to become foster parents had a reputation of being hard, demanding and time consuming for applicants. Concern was expressed that this discouraged applicants and prevented them from registering. It was asked how the Unit would respond to such an allegation and encourage and support applicants.

·         It was noted that members would like to hear directly from those who were fostering about their experiences and that it would be beneficial to raise awareness about fostering amongst members. It was suggested that a presentation to the Full Council would be beneficial so that all members could understand more about the benefits of fostering and how members could assist in the recruitment effort.

·         It was asked whether foster parents in Gwynedd received less payments compared to foster parents in other areas.

In response to the above observations and questions from members, it was noted that:-

 

·         It was more difficult to recruit foster parents for older children, but the team was fortunate to have experienced carers who have much to offer older children. It was noted that the team was trying to highlight the need for foster parents for older children, but was not quite sure how to attract the desired numbers. It was reported that if the team could not meet the needs internally within the provision, then they would look at the independent private sector. It was added that this was not the aim.

·         In Gwynedd, focus was placed on recruiting first language Welsh foster parents but challenges existed due to the demographic of those who tend to foster. These traditional trends included people who had retired early or moved to the area and were in a financial position to be able to foster. It was noted that efforts were being made to be more flexible and supportive; recent successes were reported where more younger parents in their thirties were registered as foster parents. Gwynedd was believed to be slightly better than the National trends in recruiting a variety of foster parents.

·         The emphasis was not so much on discovering new ideas but rather on marketing; this was where the role of the Regional Marketing Officer will manifest itself, which was to look at how to market existing ideas. It was believed that emphasis needed to be placed on how to market strategically with a particular focus on who was to be targeted demographically and geographically; it was then hoped to be able to recruit better.

·         The situation in Bala had developed organically without much intervention from the Unit. It was reported that a very close community of foster carers had developed in the area with some support and encouragement from the fostering team. It was noted that this was something that the team and the Marketing Officer were eager to look at to find out how the contacts within the community had developed. A case study would be completed by talking to the area's foster parents. It was mentioned that there were plans before Covid-19 to arrange meetings for foster parents to meet each other; it was intended to revisit these arrangements as well as organising a Fostering Day in the summer for foster parents, children and Officers. It was added that one of the best resources in terms of marketing was the foster parents and there were plans to make more use of the foster parents, e.g. through local and regional campaigns. The Marketing Officer will look at these opportunities.

·         The regulations within the Act meant that the Unit had to carry out thorough checks, which included looking at the background of potential foster parents to ensure the safety of the children. It was noted that the Officers carrying out the assessments explained the process clearly to the applicants so that they were aware of the process. It was noted that the team were looking at the qualities and characteristics of individuals that make them suitable for fostering. It was added that the process could be lengthy with assessments taking approximately 6 months to complete. It was explained that the DBS checks could slow down the process, but due to recent changes, these checks could be completed online which sped up the process a bit. It was reported that the Officers were trying to respond to any enquiry by explaining the requirements and respecting the sensitivity of the process and how challenging it was for prospective foster parents. In addition, it was noted that all social workers in the team had gained an additional DDP qualification and that improvements had recently been made in the time it took to assess applications with some being completed within 4-5 months.

·         All members were required to complete Corporate Parenting training and it was noted that it was a good idea to add the experiences of foster parents to this training. It was asked whether it was possible to get a young person to attend the training to share their experiences and perspective of being in foster care in Gwynedd. An opportunity was taken to encourage members to attend the Corporate Parenting training as it provided an opportunity to understand what it was like to be a foster parent. It was added that there was an intention to include information about Corporate Parenting on the Members' Intranet and any ideas were welcomed from members on the kind of information that should also be included.

·         There were two elements to fostering payments, which included a Fostering Allowance and additional payments. It was noted that Gwynedd met the minimum fostering allowance set by the Welsh Government. It was added that the variation was usually due to additional payments based on experience and skills and the training that foster parents were willing to complete. This was not a statutory payment to be given, but instead was used to try and attract and retain foster parents. It was explained that one of the biggest challenges in developing a National framework was the large variation between the 22 Authorities in terms of the additional payments. In Gwynedd, there are 3 levels based on training. It was added that there was a variation in Gwynedd amongst the foster carers that were related to the children with some choosing not to undertake the training, and consequently, not receiving the additional payment whilst others received it; therein lies the discrepancy.

In response to a further observation regarding the age of foster parents that the Unit was trying to target in their recruitment effort; it was noted that the Unit did not look directly at age and background, but rather the quality and merits of the person and what they could offer to the children. It was explained that having a wide spectrum of people and backgrounds was invaluable to suit the diverse needs of the children.

 

The Cabinet Member reported that he had had the opportunity over the years to chat over a cup of tea with the foster parents and children; he noted that this experience was very positive with happy, positive and encouraging stories being told by the children with consistent messages of thanks to the foster parents.

 

An opportunity was taken to thank Councillor Menna Baines specifically for her contribution and work on the Fostering Panel. Thanks were also expressed to Councillors Beth Lawton and Angela Russell, who had represented this Committee at the Performance Challenging meetings, for their contribution over the years. Lastly, Councillors Dewi Roberts and Eryl Jones-Williams were thanked for Chairing the Care Scrutiny Committees during the Council term. It was added that the Care Scrutiny Committee had been an integral part of the Children's Department and its work, and thanks were expressed for the constructive contribution of the Committee.

 

To conclude, the Committee expressed its thanks to the Head of Department and the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families and all Officers for their collaboration and willingness to discuss over the years.

 

RESOLVED:

a)    To accept the report and to note the information.

b)    To recommend that the Department invited foster carers and a child to the Corporate Parent training that will be held in future.