New incentives to attract more foster parents

The cost to RMBC for an in-house placement is £19,200 a year, compared to the £45,600 bill if an independent fostering agency needs to be used.

So the council’s own foster parents will see increased payments for those looking after youngsters with complex needs or more than two youngsters.

There will also be a higher mileage allowance and more money made available to cover daycare costs, under changes which were put before cabinet on Monday.

Cllr Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “Increasing fees and allowances demonstrates the great value that we place on our foster carers.

“We are fortunate to have many exceptional foster carers in Rotherham but we need to both recruit more and keep hold of those already caring for our children.

“Our foster carers come from lots of different backgrounds. As well as financial support, the council offers a wide range of additional training and round-the-clock help.

“We need more people who want to help local children when they need it the most to come forward. I’d urge you to find out more at fosteringrotherham.com and arrange an informal chat.”

There are currently 542 children in care in Rotherham, with most living in family-based settings.

But the shortage of in-house foster parents means a reliance on the costlier independent placements.

The increased payments are set to cost RMBC an initial £45,000, based on the number of existing foster carers, which it is hoped will lead to savings if more people are encouraged to sign up.

Meanwhile, changes are planned to the £3.2 million investment in new children’s homes, which is running behind schedule and over budget.

Inflation and challenges in the housing market have been cited as causes.

One proposed change is for a later phase of the project to include four two-bed homes instead of a pair of four-bed homes, because of a lack of suitable larger properties.

The council closed its previous crop of children’s homes in 2015 and 2016, when it hoped fostering placements would cover most of the requirements.

But since changing tack, three new RMBC homes have been opened since February 2020 with capacity for a total of eight youngsters.