{"id":67991,"date":"2025-12-04T16:26:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T16:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=67991"},"modified":"2025-12-04T16:40:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T16:40:20","slug":"councillors-urged-to-play-their-part-and-help-recruit-foster-carers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/councillors-urged-to-play-their-part-and-help-recruit-foster-carers\/","title":{"rendered":"Councillors called on to help recruit foster carers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Councillors today have been urged to use their influence in their local communities and to help recruit more foster carers in Devon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The call, from Council leader Julian Brazil, was made at today\u2019s Full Council meeting (Wednesday 4 December).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the meeting Devon County Council\u2019s commitment in supporting foster carers and recognising the vital role that they play was underlined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Councillors of all political stripes acknowledged the principle of corporate parenting, that the responsibility for children in care extended beyond social services to the whole council and wider community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Members highlighted that foster carers are at the heart of this commitment, offering safe and loving homes that help children thrive despite challenging circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They discussed the importance of fostering in Devon, noting that demand for placements continues to grow and that recruiting and retaining foster carers remains a significant challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many areas across the country, Devon is experiencing a decline in fostering households. Since 2020, the number of approved fostering households has fallen by a third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The council has committed \u00a32m and is introducing a series of measures including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improved training and development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved financial support with allowances aligned with the Department for Education\u2019s National Minimum Allowance (NMA), with protections in place to ensure carers do not receive less than current rates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to specialist advice and wellbeing services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The appointment of a fostering member champion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support, including an emergency rota service, short breaks for children with disabilities, and supported lodgings schemes. emergency rota fees and enhanced payments will be available for carers supporting children with higher needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An annual council tax relief scheme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6931b971987f9\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Andy Ketchin (Green) said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cThis report says nothing to me about making things easier for people to become foster parents. I would like an emphasis on reducing barriers to entry for new foster carers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything that can be done to simplify processes for foster parents would be welcome and to make it easier for new foster parents to come on board.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/3\/0\/6\/Info00011603\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Andy Ketchin\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11603\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Andy Ketchin<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6931b97198826\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Andrew Leadbetter (Conservative) said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cFoster caring really is vital. The best place for a child to be is in a family environment. I recognise that we can do more, and this is a very good step in the right direction. I wholly endorse this work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/9\/5\/1\/Info00000159\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Andrew Leadbetter\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=159\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Leader of the Conservative Group<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6931b97198c96\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Julian Brazil (Lib Dem) leader of Devon County Council said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cIt\u2019s very encouraging to hear the words of support here. We have a problem with recruitment of foster carers in Devon, and we have to do something about it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must do better, and this is a start but by no means a finish. It would be absolutely fantastic if every single councillor could recruit one foster carer for Devon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would make a massive difference. As Councillor Leadbetter says, it\u2019s the best place for a vulnerable child to be and, unfortunately, because we don\u2019t have enough foster carers, we are having to send our children out of county\u2026which is just not good enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a crucial part of the jigsaw in terms of children\u2019s services improvement. You go to all your parish councils, speak to lots of people and take that opportunity to push this and say \u2018have you ever thought about being a foster carer?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Councillor Hodgson said, It can an incredibly fulfilling thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/7\/1\/1\/Info00000117\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Julian Brazil\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=117\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the Council<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6931b97198cc3\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Robin Julian (Reform) the Member champion for Fostering, agreed and said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cWe need more foster carers, it is a very challenging (environment) and we\u2019ve got to make it better for children. We want to keep children in the county, and I feel, with all of us together, we can help recruit more foster carers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/7\/5\/1\/Info00000157\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Robin Julian\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=157\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Robin Julian<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":859,"featured_media":67992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children-families-and-education","category-democracy"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":67992,"title":"Copy of hero image for news website (31)","alt":"Inside of the Council Chamber at County Hall, Exeter, during a meeting of the Full Council","description":"","caption":"","url":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31.png","width":1200,"height":675,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-400x270.png","thumbnail_width":400,"thumbnail_height":270,"medium":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-600x338.png","medium_width":600,"medium_height":338,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-768x432.png","medium_large_width":768,"medium_large_height":432,"large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-800x450.png","large_width":800,"large_height":450,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31.png","1536x1536_width":1200,"1536x1536_height":675,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31.png","2048x2048_width":1200,"2048x2048_height":675,"thumbnail_featured":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-770x450.png","thumbnail_featured_width":770,"thumbnail_featured_height":450,"thumbnail_sidebar":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-200x135.png","thumbnail_sidebar_width":200,"thumbnail_sidebar_height":135,"banner-block":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-440x440.png","banner-block_width":440,"banner-block_height":440,"small-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-640x360.png","small-banner_width":640,"small-banner_height":360,"medium-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-1024x576.png","medium-banner_width":1024,"medium-banner_height":576,"small-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-640x480.png","small-thumb_width":640,"small-thumb_height":480,"medium-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-320x240.png","medium-thumb_width":320,"medium-thumb_height":240,"large-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-420x315.png","large-thumb_width":420,"large-thumb_height":315,"slideshow-preview":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-300x200.png","slideshow-preview_width":300,"slideshow-preview_height":200,"slideshow":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-hero-image-for-news-website-31-800x533.png","slideshow_width":800,"slideshow_height":533}},"category_priority":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2027-12-04 16:15:58","action":"delete","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/859"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67991"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67998,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67991\/revisions\/67998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}