Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/23/06) on Special Guardianship Orders and proposals for financial support packages, attached.

RESOLVEDthat foster carers applying for a Special Guardianship Order in respect of a looked after child for whom Devon is the Corporate Parent receive an enhanced, guaranteed financial support package as outlined in the Report to encourage them to apply for the Special Guardianship Order, thereby providing a permanent placement for that child.

Councillors Biederman, Brazil, Dewhirst and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Children and Young People’s Futures (CS/23/06) relating to proposals for financial support packages and Special Guardianship Orders, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

Special Guardianship offered a child who had been looked after by a local authority a greater degree of permanence than foster care without the finality of adoption and a number of children currently looked after by the Council and placed with foster carers could be offered permanence through an SGO, as long as their special guardians received an appropriate support package.

The Report outlined the additional costs of achieving permanence for that group of children together with the savings that would result from that.

The Council had identified 24 children who were currently residing in foster care, whose carers were willing to consider an application for a Special Guardianship Order, however a lack of defined support, including financial, was a rationale for many not being willing or able to proceed.

The Report outlined that for two years following the granting of an SGO, the (now former) foster carer(s) would receive a continuation of their fostering allowance at the same rate. Following this two-year transition period, they would receive the basic fostering allowance until the child’s 18^th birthday provided the child continued to reside with them.  Additional financial support may also be payable where the child had additional health or care needs which would incur a direct additional cost to the special guardian(s).

When the young person turned 18, they could be eligible, as a qualifying care leaver, to access practical and financial support, including grants and bursaries, to help them with the transition to adulthood and independence.

The Report further outlined the additional guidance and support available from Devon’s Special Guardianship team, for example contact arrangements, transitions and / or ongoing additional support.

Section 7 of the Report focussed on the financial considerations referring to the Special Guardianship Regulations, 2005 (as amended by the Special Guardianship (Amendment) Regulations 2016). This included costs and savings as well as service costs associated with social work, quality assurance, education, and health as well as benchmarking with other neighbouring authorities and case study examples.

The Council previously made a commitment to providing a protected allowance at the same level the foster carers currently received for the duration of their childhood which was financially unsustainable. Following this, potential Special Guardians were not offered any flexibility with the regulations which resulted in several foster carers not pursuing SGO’s due to the lack of perceived support. The proposal aimed to support foster carers to provide permanence through a financially sustainable method.

The proposals being presented to Cabinet fitted with the strategic priorities of being ambitious for children and young people, tackling poverty and inequality and improving  ...  view the full minutes text for item 381