Under the Staying Put initiative, which was made law through the Children and Families Act 2014, councils have a duty to support looked-after children who want to remain with their foster carer until they are 21.
But according to a National Children’s Bureau (NCB) report into how Staying Put is working in practice, the scheme is being hindered by a lack of funding from central government to enable councils to cover the additional cost.
A survey of more than 500 carers and children’s professionals for the study found that more than a half (57 per cent) of respondents said carers were not receiving adequate payment.
More than two thirds (67 per cent) of those surveyed said this lack of funding was preventing carers from taking part in Staying Put.
Staying Put guidance states funding should cover all reasonable costs of supporting young people to remain with their carer.
The Department for Education (DfE) allocated a total of £42.4m for councils to cover the cost of Staying Put for the first three years of operation – £7.4m in 2014/15, then £14m in 2015/16, and £21m in 2016/17.
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