Call for more foster carers in Shropshire

Shropshire County Council officials are issuing a plea for more foster carers to come forward to help look after children when they need care and support.

Inspection reports will be presented to the county council’s Cabinet on Wednesday (12 December), outlining the current performance of the Fostering Service, private fostering arrangements and the Joint Adoption Service. In a report, officials from Ofsted said one of the key issues arising from the inspections was the need for more foster carers in Shropshire.

The Fostering Service was rated as satisfactory, and the report listed a number of areas where the service was performing well, such as young people’s health being well promoted by carers, and helping children make a positive contribution. However, the need for more foster carers was highlighted, with the report saying “The service acknowledges that, due to a shortage of foster carers, it is not always possible to exactly match a young person to a foster carer’s skills”.

Private fostering arrangements occur when an unrelated adult cares for a child for longer than 28 days. At this stage, Ofsted inspectors said the service was inadequate, and that awareness-raising needed to be increased. In Shropshire in 2007, four young people have been notified to the county council as being in a private fostering situation. The council must be told about all private arrangements so that monitoring and support can take place. Inspectors praised the support given to existing carers, saying “Foster carers felt well supported by their worker who provided good information”.

The Joint Adoption Service was rated as satisfactory, and inspectors said they were impressed by improvements made since the last inspection three years ago. They particularly highlighted staff morale, information for children and young people, and the organisation of the service, as greatly improved.

Councillors will be asked to note the reports at the Cabinet meeting on 12 December, and enable the Children & Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel to monitor the progress of the relevant action plans in February.

Kathryn Edwards, Assistant Director of Social Care & Safeguards at Shropshire County Council, said: “We are aware of the need to improve certain aspects of our fostering and adoption services. Improvements have already been made, which is encouraging. I would urge anyone interested in becoming a foster carer to please get in touch with the council. We want to keep more Shropshire children within Shropshire, and to achieve the very best outcomes for this important group of young people.”

For more information about foster care or private fostering, contact the Children’s Placement Service on (01743) 254700. For more information about adoption, contact the Joint Adoption Service on (01743) 245719.

7 December 2007