£1.5m increase in payments made to foster carers in Hertfordshire

COUNCIL officials have increased the payments they make to foster carers – in a bid to ensure existing and would-be carers are not tempted to foster for neighbouring authorities instead.

As part of an ongoing drive, the county council aims to recruit as many foster carers as possible from within the county.

That keeps ‘looked after’ children closer to home and costs the council significantly less than alternative placements, with independent or out of county foster carers.

In February the government announced a 12.43 per cent national increase in the minimum rate that a foster carers should receive from April.

And locally ‘neighbouring’ and ‘comparable’ local authorities also increased their ‘fostering skills rates’ – by an additional nine per cent.

That prompted fears that higher rates elsewhere may tempt existing and prospective Hertfordshire foster carers away to work for other authorities.

But now it has emerged that the county council has stepped in to match the nine per cent awarded by other authorities.

Achieving parity with neighbouring local authorities – along with government-required increases for foster carers and increases to SGO means tested allowances – would increase council costs by an estimated £1,561,937.

But according to a report presented to the cabinet panel, for every 20 ‘in-house’ placements – where otherwise the child would be placed with an ‘independent fostering agency’ – council costs are £500,000 a year lower.

Without taking the action to recruit and retain foster carers, the report says costs would increase.

The council’s ‘fostering strategy’ aims to increase the percentage of children in care who are living in ‘in-house’ foster homes within the county.

It’s one of three strategies related to the care of ‘looked after’ children or children at risk of coming in to care that are designed to save £13.6m from council spending by 2025/6.

Data presented to councillors highlighted a net gain of 26 foster carers in 2020/1, when there were 54 new recruits.

However data shows that just 41 foster carers were recruited in 21/22 and 28 in 22/23.

In 22/23 there was an increase in foster carer resignations – resulting in a net reduction of 27 in the number on in-house foster carers.