A report by the Acting Director of Children’s Services set out information regarding the statutory requirement to pay connected foster carers, formally known as family and friends foster carers, a skills band fee in addition to the fostering allowance. This was a new requirement from 1 April 2012 for which Council agreed an increase of £450,000 in the Children and Young People Department’s revenue budget from 2012-13.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the increase in the payments to connected foster carers by allowing them to be eligible to receive Band skills fee, from 1April 2012, subject to them receiving training be approved;

(2)  these payments be met from the £450,000 increase in the revenue budget agreed by Council from 2012-13; and

(3)  “The Guide to the Payment of Foster Carers” be amended to remove the section that states “the payment of Skills Based Fees does not apply to those approved as ‘Friends and Family’ foster carers”.