Interim Fostering Improvement Lead

We will be replacing an interim lead who has a permanent role with us in NSC

 

Background:           The Fostering Service recruits, assesses, approves, and supervises foster carers to provide family based care for North Somerset children in care. Foster care is a highly regulated, specialist provision which ensures we meet our children and young people’s needs in a family centred way. It allows children to develop and grow up in the security of a family environment, maintaining their local links to their community. To ensure timely and business critical improvement work is undertaken to grow and develop the service in line with our Transformation Priorities, Delivery Plan, and Sufficiency Strategy, reporting to the HOS Corporate Parenting and newly created Sufficiency Board.

 

Decision:      To continue the current time limited contract of the interim project lead position to drive forward the improvement and growth of the Fostering Service and to approve the temporary budget virements to align future costs and funding as described in the financial implications section below.

 

Reasons:      The continued appointment of the dedicated Fostering Project Lead is supporting the increased pace in the development and project work necessary to increase the number of in-house (including kinship) foster placements. This will significantly reduce the reliance on expensive external placements, enhance placement stability and quality and drive down overall placement costs. A focused lead will deliver improvements in; marketing strategy - digital platforms and direct; enquiry, assessment and approval pipelines; targeted recruitment; maximisation of regional fostering network; support and retention of foster carers; innovation in resilience fostering models building on mockingbird.

 

Outcome: Continued reduction in placement costs, increased in-house fostering capacity, and improved placement outcomes for children.