Issue - meetings

Sandy Bansil, Head of Children in Care and Placements introduced the report for the item.

The purpose of this document was to report on the activity of the Fostering Service fulfilling obligations in the Fostering Services Regulations (2011) to review and improve the quality of care, and National Minimum Standards (2011) to report to the executive side of the Local Authority. It would cover performance and developments in the council’s delivery of Fostering Services; how the council was compliant with key national minimum standards; the service offered to those seeking to foster and those children in care who are fostered. This report detailed the work of Haringey Fostering Service from 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 and sets out plans for service development until 31st March 2026.

The following was noted in response to questions from the committee:

• In the instance of a child having significant disabilities that required a level of adaptation to a property, officers would have the support of our health colleagues.
• There were probably more challenges with housing for children who were not in care, who may need to spend time with who are with their parents.
• Officers were in the process of developing an overnight short breaks unit and something that they were really keen to do was to make sure that it was in a package offer to foster carers.
• Next year, the team had a really exciting opportunity to report back on. Officers had wanted to support foster carers and provide more rooms so that they could have sibling groups and had been fortunate in working with the housing to have a test home.
• Members and officers would do a deep dive into the physical needs that foster families may have.
• Fewer people were putting themselves forward to be foster carers and so with that in mind officers needed to be having an effective marketing strategy. There wasn’t a maximum age for fostering it was about ability. It was challenging in getting younger people to come forward wanting to be foster carers.
• One of the biggest worries in London was due to the rising house and rent prices, people could not afford to buy homes and therefore this had a knock on effect on the decrease in foster care. It was suggested that members write to minister Josh MacAlister regarding the link between the decrease in foster care and the increase in house prices/rent.