Mark Costello, chief executive of Foster Care Associates (FCA), which is part of the Core Assets group, said on Twitter that his firm has "stopped paying golden hellos from today".
The decision follows warnings from council leaders earlier this week that incentive payments are raising the cost of fostering services, and reducing the amount of money available to help vulnerable children.
"FCA have listened," Costello said.
"Let's all work together to recruit more foster carers."
@cypnow @LGAcomms FCA have listened. We have stopped paying golden hellos from today. Lets all work together to recruit more foster carers.
On Tuesday the Local Government Association warned that while independent fostering agencies, which include commercial, not-for-profit and charity organisations, are "a valuable part of the fostering system", a minority of agencies have been offering local authority foster carers thousands of pounds to switch to their agency.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
