Agenda item - Kinship Care Support Offer

Report of the Executive Director Families Children & Learning (copy to follow)

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the report.

64.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director Families Children & Learning regarding the current support offer to Kinship Care and Family & Friends placements in Brighton and Hove. The report was introduced by the Head of Service - Fostering Adoption & Permanence.

64.2    Councillor Hills asked how long the process of moving from Foster Care to Kinship Care would take,  and referred to paragraph 3.11 and asked if the 34 who had moved out of the care of the Local Authority onto Special Guardianship Orders and asked if that was from the 35 or 49. The Head of Service - Fostering Adoption & Permanence advised that the length of time taken would vary for each child and would depend on how long the care proceedings but there was a target of 26 weeks, but due to the current pandemic it was taking longer. The number of children was 34 out of 35.

64.3    Councillor Grimshaw asked if people undertook the additional training whether the enhanced money would continue permanently, and if they were receiving the additional money would that mean that the child would continue as being classed as ‘in care’ and have the support of a social worker? If that was the case, would the involvement of a social worker may be why people didn’t go for the extra training. The Head of Service - Fostering Adoption & Permanence advised that the additional money would continue. With regard to not undertaking the training it was more the case that the carers defined themselves as family members rather than viewed as a foster carer and so did not want the close supervision of having a social worker.

64.4    Councillor Allcock noted that the Council was acknowledged nationally as an ‘exemplar of good practice in its assessment and support to Kinship Carers’ and asked what that meant. The Head of Service - Fostering Adoption & Permanence said that the Council were seen as doing their best, offering the right level of support and providing a good level of payment. CoramBAAF (family placement organisation) and the Department for Education have both visited Brighton & Hove to look at our processes. The Lawyer to the meeting added that the Council was not only cited as an exemplar of good practice but had also formulated best practice guidance which was published last year and had been endorsed by the Department for Education, the Association of Directors for Children’s Services and the President of the Family Division and had changed practice nationally.

64.5    RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the report.