Agenda item

To provide information about the general management of the in-house fostering service and how it is achieving good outcomes for children, in accordance with standard 25.7 of the Fostering National Minimum Standards (2011). The report details the activity of Brent’s fostering service from 1 July 2020 until 30 September 2020.

The purpose of this report was to provide information to the Council’s Corporate Parenting Committee about the general management of the in-house fostering service and how it was achieving good outcomes for children for the period from July 2020 to September 2020.

Onder Beter (Head of Looked After Children and Permanency, Brent Council) drew the Committee’s attention to section 4.3 of the report, in which Brent Council had seen a drop in the number of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC). This was partly due to a number of UASC becoming care leavers post 18^th birthday in Brent. As a result this had added to the number of care leavers previously UASCs in Brent, making up 31% of the total leaving care population. At the time of the meeting the Council only had comparable data from neighbouring Boroughs and it was confirmed that Brent had more over 18 UASCs than neighbouring Boroughs. In general, Brent supported 100 more care leavers the current year in comparison to the previous year as young people were now in receipt of support until the age of 25 as per legislative changes. Onder Beter advised the Committee that this would result in additional financial pressure.

The Committee heard that the business case for the Joint Fostering Project had been made to the DfE and officers were awaiting the outcome of the decision. There was an agreement in place between the other 2 Boroughs involved in the project, Hounslow and Ealing, which was subject to further agreement once more tangible aspects of the project were developed.

Regarding how foster carers had coped with the COVID-19 specific demands placed on them, such as managing contact, Onder Beter advised that they did face that challenge which was being faced across London as to how foster carers could support contact for families. West London Family Court had complimented Brent for their support around contact, noting that Brent had been more accommodating with contact. He added that he believed Brent were providing foster carers the right amount of support with fortnightly Zoom support groups of around 20-30 foster carers.

In response to a query as to whether Brent had been encouraged to accept more children from other areas of the country, Nigel Chapman (Operational Director Integration and Improved Outcomes, Brent Council) clarified that they had been contacted by the Home Office asking whether they would consider taking on additional young people from Kent and Portsmouth. He advised that they had reluctantly declined for the moment but there was a wider conversation ongoing about the national transfer scheme with a strong message from London that other local authority areas should take a reasonable share of young people. In addition Brent had been unable to take additional young people as the Home Office had placed a large number of adults seeking asylum in a hotel in Brent and at least 12 had subsequently approached the Council stating they were under 18 and wanted to be considered as children which the Council were reviewing.

In response to a query about marketing activity in section 5.2 of the report, Gail Tolley (Strategic Director Children and Young People, Brent Council) advised that the fostering service was advertised in the Brent Council Magazine and this would be clarified in the next report.

RESOLVED: to note the content of the report.