Future of foster care consultation

A flexible fostering approach will allow us to respond nimbly to the varied and complex needs of children, and also to be responsive to new approaches and societal and cultural changes. Grounded in our national approach Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC), it would be child-centred, providing a strengths-based, holistic approach to supporting children, young people and families when it is needed, for as long as it is needed.

Some of the proposed elements will enhance the alternative family care that foster carers currently provide, and others may be additional services which reflect the new skills and models of support already beginning to be established in Scotland. The elements required to ensure the best support would depend on each child’s care plan, their needs and that of their family.

Our intention is to build on the existing skills, experiences and qualities of foster carers, but also provide enhanced training and support where it is needed. We want foster carers to feel confident, empowered and supported as a valued, trusted and inclusive member of the multi-disciplinary team around the child. This will enable them to provide the best care possible, and to take a more active role in supporting birth families, where appropriate. 

Not all the elements of the flexible fostering approach will be appropriate for every child, and foster carers all bring their own unique skills and strengths to the task. The main role for a foster carer to provide alternative family care will remain, but we see our vision enabling many carers to be confident in taking their skills and relationships into a broader arena. For lead professionals and other members of the team around the child, we hope this vision enables them to utilise the skills of the team to best effect. This will help us deliver The Promise.

Central to the flexible fostering approach will be ongoing high-quality training and support for foster carers, and how this can be provided, recognising the current challenges in the social work and social care sector impact. We know that evidence from innovative projects such as Mockingbird, which operates across the UK, shows that peer support and being valued by the whole team around the child can improve how supported foster carers feel, their mental wellbeing and resilience, and, ultimately, retention. Sustainability of projects/support is also an important area for discussion.

Elements of flexible fostering approach:

1. High quality alternative family-based care which provides a positive family experience for infants, children and young people in the foster carer’s own home.
2. To build the potential and capacity of existing foster carers to support and facilitate family time where appropriate, in line with the child’s care plan, so that children, including infants, can keep in touch with people that are important to them. 
3. As part of the child’s plan, foster carers may, in some situations, have a role in supporting birth families whose children are in foster care, to facilitate reunification of the child or young person with their birth family. 
4. Foster carers may be well placed to have a role supporting families on the edge of care to enable more children to remain home. 
5. Building on existing short break provision, regular breaks, which are also child centred, would be provided to existing foster carers, or to families experiencing difficulties. 
6. Alongside professionals, we propose using more experienced foster carers who no longer wish to foster full-time, to mentor new foster carers, deliver foster carers’ training and share practice and knowledge. 
7. Potentially, the facility, where it is appropriate, for a foster carer to stay in a family home, for a short time, to provide immediate support and care at times of family crisis. 

Full details on the approach can be found at section 5 of the consultation document.