Issue - meetings

 To receive an update on how actions  have been progressed since the last meeting and  to note the items planned for future meetings.

Discussion on Housing Benefit Cap

The Director of the Children’s service agreed to bring forward a briefing paper to the next meeting of the committee, on the impact of the Housing Benefit cap on Foster carers and special guardianships. 

The Committee noted that the Fostering service was writing out to all carers to find out if they were affected by the Housing Benefit cap which was being implemented 6 months earlier in Haringey. Following responses being received, the service would be in a better position to ascertain if there was a problem .However the council could make discretionary payments in these circumstances.  There was also a discussion about whether the benefit cap could act as a disincentive for members of families taking up special guardianships. This was also difficult to tell at the moment, but the Committee were assured that family members showing an interest in becoming a special guardian were continually supported to take up this role.

Foster Care Consortium Update

There was current work to recruit Remand Foster carers that would be used to foster young people you have the potential to go into detention

(These are young people that have been charged with an offence). These carers would be paid slightly more than foster carers and would be trained to cope with the specific demands of the young person as they will be responsible for trying to keep them out of the custodial system.

It was noted that under the new legal requirements a young person in detention was entitled to foster care. This would be explored further by the Committee in agenda item 9.

It was noted that the Director of the Children’s service had volunteered to take up the chairmanship of the NLSA (North London Strategic Alliance) sub group which was   looking at the cost of fostering and LAC placements. This group was made up of four other north London boroughs, Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forrest and this group would bring about collective negotiations on prices for agency foster carers and LAC placement .   Taking up  this position will enable the borough to   better access quality care, placements and properties for young people leaving care.

 The Committee agreed that there be a report back to the next meeting in April on the review of the Fostering service.  This review would be externally procured through a tender process.  It was noted that the previous internal review of the fostering service, last year had focussed in the work flow processes whereas this new review would look at the service as a whole, examining cost against performance. Members asked that the report back to Committee, include the cost of the review, provide an idea of the average cost per day of running the service, and take account of the variables pertinent to this borough. It was hoped that a tenderer with previous experience of conducting similar reviews in other boroughs would come forward.