Report reveals gaps in council foster carer recruitment

The research, published by the Fostering Network, highlights the need for improved performance across local authorities at various stages of the recruitment process in order to reduce the differences between them and ensure steady performance across the country.

According to Local Authority Fostering Service Benchmark, 2012/13, the percentage of those who enquired about becoming a foster carer and were approved ranged from one per cent to 37 per cent across local authorities.

The report also reveals that the amount of time for someone to progress from the enquiry stage to becoming a foster carer ranged from 49 to 518 days across local authorities.

It also shows that a number of local authorities are failing to utilise their foster care places and have high vacancy rates as a result, with rates varying from 68 per cent to five per cent.

Each local authority will receive an individual report on their performance compared with the national average.

James Foyle, recruitment and retention consultant at the Fostering Network, hopes local authorities will use the papers to make improvements where necessary and ensure that their foster care recruitment meets children’s needs.

He said: “The findings show a huge performance range in some areas, in particular around the journey from enquiry to approval and the high level of vacancies.

“We strongly recommend that fostering services compare these national averages with their own performance to identify local opportunities for improvement through recruitment and retention process.

“Local findings may point to opportunities to improve the efficiency of the process and make financial savings, while still recruiting foster carers who can meet children’s needs.”