A range of improved support for fully approved Devon foster carers has been agreed by our new ruling Cabinet today (Friday 23 May).
Among the proposals backed by councillors was an annual council tax relief scheme for foster carers in Devon. In line with some other south west authorities, it will entitle carers in the county to claim a payment based on the number of weeks that they provide care to a Devon County Council looked after child.
Payment will be the equivalent of 50% of the Devon County Council element of council tax if foster carers provide more than 26 weeks of care, or 25% for 13-26 weeks of care.
Devon foster carers caring for children aged 16+ will also receive an increase in their weekly allowance, following today’s decision by County Councillors to increase payments in line with the National Minimum Allowance (NMA).
The weekly basic fostering allowance to cover the costs of caring for children aged 16+ will rise by £8.96 per week to match the £258 per week National Minimum Allowance (NMA) recommended by Government. This increase will also apply to the allowances paid to carers for children placed under Special Guardianship, Child Arrangement Orders and Adoption Placements. All other age groups will continue to be paid the existing rate of £237.44, which is above the NMA.
In future, all fostering allowances will increase in line with the NMA and/or inflation without the need for Cabinet approval, unless there is a significant financial impact on the Council that could not be met from existing budgets.
Councillor Richard Jefferies, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services, said:
“Devon Foster Carers provide safe, stable and nurturing homes to our children and young people in care, and we thank them for their care and dedication.
“This improved support is just the beginning of a larger programme of improvements we’re looking to introduce.
“These new measures show that our foster carers are valued and we want to make it easier for them to support children in their care.
“The NMA is the national benchmark across local authorities as well as independent fostering agencies, which promotes fairness no matter where they foster, so hopefully this new support will help to remove barriers and enable us to recruit and retain more foster carers in Devon.”
Councillors also thanked Devon foster carers for the care they provide and agreed:
- An £80,000 budget will be created by Fostering Devon to purchase essential equipment such as beds, mattresses, prams, buggies and car seats, rather than foster carers using their allowances to pay for these items.
- A “retention budget” of £36,000 will be established to deliver additional support to foster carers, including peer mentoring, regular support and wellbeing groups across the county, as well as a range of regular activities for foster carers and children in care together. As part of this budget, a £5,000 annual contribution would be made to the Devon Foster Care Association (DFCA), which is highly valued by foster carers.
- Fostering Devon will establish two dedicated Fostering Independent Reviewing Officer (FIRO) roles to provide impartial oversight during annual reviews of approved foster carers. These positions will be distinct from the standard Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) roles that focus on the care plans of looked-after children.