Decision details
A New Deal for York Foster Carers - Recognising and rewarding professional development
Decision Maker: Decision Session - Executive Member for Children Young People and Education
Decision status: Decision Made
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
Purpose of Report: Our foster carers in York
provide an essential service to some of the City’s most
vulnerable children and young people. This role has become more
demanding over the past few years, with revised national standards
and regulations as well as increasingly complex requirements for
local fostering placements. Against this background the Local
Authority recognises the need to refresh and enhance the support
and development opportunities it provides for foster carers. In
partnership with the York Area Foster Care Association and the
wider childrens workforce the Local Authority is setting out a new
vision for fostering in York. This vision will describe the shared
expectations of the fostering task. It will provide greater clarity
about the foster carer’s role in a child’s wider
planning arrangements and set out a new professional development
pathway for all foster carers. This paper sets out a proposed new
remuneration scheme which will reflect and support the
implementation of this ‘new deal’ for our foster carers
in York.
The Cabinet Member is asked to approve the proposed new
remuneration arrangements for York foster carers as part of a wider
programme of changes to enhance the role of foster carers in the
City.
Decision:
RESOLVED: That Option 2 in the report – the implementation of a new accreditation scheme with corresponding grading for foster carer’s skill, knowledge and experience be approved with effect from April 2013.
REASON: The implementation of an accreditation scheme for foster carers will enhance their place in the Children’s Social Care Workforce and provide a platform for recruitment of new foster carers with a clear professional development pathway and associated remuneration.
Report author: Howard Lovelady
Publication date: 05/02/2013
Date of decision: 05/02/2013
Decided at meeting: 05/02/2013 - Decision Session - Executive Member for Children Young People and Education
Effective from: 08/02/2013
Accompanying Documents: