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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2016/apr/14/cuts-foster-carers-struggle-ends-meet-allowances
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| Short-sighted cuts mean foster carers are struggling to make ends meet | Short-sighted cuts mean foster carers are struggling to make ends meet |
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| Good foster care transforms the lives of children, providing stability, care, love and security for as long as it’s needed: a night, a month or a lifetime. So when foster families on the frontline of our care system tell us they’re nearly at breaking point, we must listen. | Good foster care transforms the lives of children, providing stability, care, love and security for as long as it’s needed: a night, a month or a lifetime. So when foster families on the frontline of our care system tell us they’re nearly at breaking point, we must listen. |
| Related: Children in foster care aren't waiting for a loving home – they are already in one | Related: Children in foster care aren't waiting for a loving home – they are already in one |
| This week The Fostering Network released an in-depth report, Cuts: the view from foster carers (pdf). This is based on a survey of foster carers, looking at the impact of local authority budget cuts on them and the children they look after. | This week The Fostering Network released an in-depth report, Cuts: the view from foster carers (pdf). This is based on a survey of foster carers, looking at the impact of local authority budget cuts on them and the children they look after. |
| Foster carers told us that their allowances have been frozen for a number of years, while the cost of living has increased. They’re being expected to make the allowance go further. Mileage, replacing equipment and breakages are not being reimbursed for many, leading to an overwhelming feeling among two-thirds of foster carers (70%) who responded to our survey that allowances are being cut. | Foster carers told us that their allowances have been frozen for a number of years, while the cost of living has increased. They’re being expected to make the allowance go further. Mileage, replacing equipment and breakages are not being reimbursed for many, leading to an overwhelming feeling among two-thirds of foster carers (70%) who responded to our survey that allowances are being cut. |
| One said: “We have fostered for over 25 years and cared for well over 300 young people and the service has never been in a worse position to deliver young people with a good care service.” | One said: “We have fostered for over 25 years and cared for well over 300 young people and the service has never been in a worse position to deliver young people with a good care service.” |
| Worryingly, 69% of foster carers felt cuts were reducing access to their child’s social worker. This is concerning, as relationships are the golden thread throughout childhood. Maintaining them has time and again been cited as positive for children in care. | Worryingly, 69% of foster carers felt cuts were reducing access to their child’s social worker. This is concerning, as relationships are the golden thread throughout childhood. Maintaining them has time and again been cited as positive for children in care. |
| Recent news reports have revealed that access to mental health services for children is at an all-time low. There are fewer mental health beds and higher thresholds for children to access these services; as a society, we’re facing a children’s mental health crisis. This is increasingly felt by children in care, and 67% of foster carers who responded to our survey felt cuts had had a negative impact on their and their fostered child’s access to other services, including mental health services and respite care. | Recent news reports have revealed that access to mental health services for children is at an all-time low. There are fewer mental health beds and higher thresholds for children to access these services; as a society, we’re facing a children’s mental health crisis. This is increasingly felt by children in care, and 67% of foster carers who responded to our survey felt cuts had had a negative impact on their and their fostered child’s access to other services, including mental health services and respite care. |
| It’s the most rewarding thing I've ever done and I’m proud of the outcomes for my foster children, but don’t feel valued | It’s the most rewarding thing I've ever done and I’m proud of the outcomes for my foster children, but don’t feel valued |
| One foster carer said of the effects of budget cuts: “So much more needs to be put into supporting our children’s emotional health – cuts have had huge effect on this. There is no meaningful support for foster carers, who soak up all of the emotional hurt of the child in their care. Much more therapeutic support needs to be there for foster carers before we’re burnt out. Or are we just a disposable commodity that the government is happy to use? You have to wonder.” | One foster carer said of the effects of budget cuts: “So much more needs to be put into supporting our children’s emotional health – cuts have had huge effect on this. There is no meaningful support for foster carers, who soak up all of the emotional hurt of the child in their care. Much more therapeutic support needs to be there for foster carers before we’re burnt out. Or are we just a disposable commodity that the government is happy to use? You have to wonder.” |
| Budget cuts have been combined with a freeze in recommended fostering allowances from the Department for Education. And for the minority of foster carers who are given fees or benefits for their work, on top of their allowance, these are also being cut. This raise the expectation that foster carers pay out of their own pockets to provide day-to-day necessities for the children they care for on behalf of the state. And as well as receiving less, foster carers tell us they are having to spend more because of increased costs, such as the bedroom tax and rising council tax. Foster carers in social housing are exempt from the bedroom tax if they foster one child, but for those who foster two or three, the second and third “spare rooms” are still taxed. The combined effect is forcing some foster carers to consider whether they can continue in the profession. | Budget cuts have been combined with a freeze in recommended fostering allowances from the Department for Education. And for the minority of foster carers who are given fees or benefits for their work, on top of their allowance, these are also being cut. This raise the expectation that foster carers pay out of their own pockets to provide day-to-day necessities for the children they care for on behalf of the state. And as well as receiving less, foster carers tell us they are having to spend more because of increased costs, such as the bedroom tax and rising council tax. Foster carers in social housing are exempt from the bedroom tax if they foster one child, but for those who foster two or three, the second and third “spare rooms” are still taxed. The combined effect is forcing some foster carers to consider whether they can continue in the profession. |
| Given that we need to recruit more than 9,000 new foster families this year to meet rising demand, the impact of losing foster families is a huge threat to the wellbeing of tens of thousands of fostered children. | Given that we need to recruit more than 9,000 new foster families this year to meet rising demand, the impact of losing foster families is a huge threat to the wellbeing of tens of thousands of fostered children. |
| As one foster carer said in our survey: “Foster carers are the forgotten profession. This is a career that is so rewarding and valuable but not professionally recognised. For most foster carers this is their job and they do it despite often struggling financially. It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I’m proud of the outcomes for my foster children, but I don’t feel valued in a professional sense at all.” | As one foster carer said in our survey: “Foster carers are the forgotten profession. This is a career that is so rewarding and valuable but not professionally recognised. For most foster carers this is their job and they do it despite often struggling financially. It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I’m proud of the outcomes for my foster children, but I don’t feel valued in a professional sense at all.” |
| Related: Stop treating adoption as the only option for children in care | Related: Stop treating adoption as the only option for children in care |
| The cuts to children’s services are a false economy. If you bring children into care and don’t invest in them, their birth families, and the carers who are looking after them, then you do save money now. But ultimately, you spend more in the future helping those same people pick up their lives. | The cuts to children’s services are a false economy. If you bring children into care and don’t invest in them, their birth families, and the carers who are looking after them, then you do save money now. But ultimately, you spend more in the future helping those same people pick up their lives. |
| We need to recognise that children in care are an investment worth making now. They are an investment that will pay back much more than they cost, through their positive contribution to society, and the fact that they won’t need as many NHS, judicial and other services in the future. | We need to recognise that children in care are an investment worth making now. They are an investment that will pay back much more than they cost, through their positive contribution to society, and the fact that they won’t need as many NHS, judicial and other services in the future. |
| Children in care, if properly supported and invested in, are one of the few things in life guaranteed to pay rich dividends. Indeed, it can be priceless. | Children in care, if properly supported and invested in, are one of the few things in life guaranteed to pay rich dividends. Indeed, it can be priceless. |
| Kevin Williams is chief executive of The Fostering Network | |
| Join the Social Care Network to read more pieces like this. Follow us on Twitter (@GdnSocialCare) and like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest social care news and views. | Join the Social Care Network to read more pieces like this. Follow us on Twitter (@GdnSocialCare) and like us on Facebook to keep up with the latest social care news and views. |