The Group Manager – Placements and Provider Services presented a report, in order to provide Members with the revised Statement of Purpose for the Fostering Service in Bridgend County Borough Council.  It was a requirement under the Council’s Constitution that these are presented to the Corporate Parenting Committee for approval.

He explained that the Fostering Service provided a range of foster care to children and young people who are looked after by Bridgend County Borough Council.  The service offers the types of family care to children and young people from birth to 18 years of age, as were highlighted in paragraph 3.1 of the report.

The relevant provisions of The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (RISCA), came into force on 2nd April 2018.  The purpose of the Act was to build on the success of regulation in Wales and reflected the changing world of social care. It placed service quality and improvement at the heart of the regulatory regime and strengthens protection for those who require this. Regulation will move beyond compliance with minimum standards, and focus more on the quality of services and the impact which they have on the people receiving them.

The Local Authority Fostering Services (Wales) Regulations 2018 came into force on 29th April 2019 and sets out the Requirement of the Local Authority to prepare a Statement of Purpose and to keep it regularly under review, on an annual basis.

In line with the guide to compiling a Statement of Purpose that was provided under the above Act by Care Inspectorate Wales (April 2019), Bridgend Fostering Service had prepared its Statement of Purpose and this was included at Appendix 1 to the report.

In April 2020 the Statement of Purpose has been subjected to its annual review and changes to the statement were described in paragraph 4.4 of the report.

The Group Manager – Placements and Provider Services, then shared some of the salient points and key features of the Revised Statement of Purpose with Members.

The Leader asked if any further feedback could be given on the impact of Covid-19 on Foster Carers, as these were providing care for the majority of children we were supporting in their own homes. He added also, if any different support mechanisms that may have been put in place for these children since the pandemic came about, needed to be reflected in the Fostering Service Statement of Purpose.

The Group Manager – Placements and Provider Services, confirmed that Foster Carers were doing an incredible job particularly since the pandemic.

They had shown a very high level of resilience supporting their children during the hardest time imaginable, whilst also still having their other worries to deal with. Social Services staff have since last March, been monitoring how Foster Carers and Foster Children had been coping at least on a weekly basis through contact mainly be telephone or email, etc. The department had also developed a RAG status, in order to categorise different levels of support these families may have required during the ongoing crisis, in case any urgent home visits were required for priority placements by Social Workers, based on necessity.

He added that weekly newsletters had also been issued to Foster Carer families, highlighting updates and changes to the way services available were being provided, as well as giving them examples of ideas of activities that could be undertaken when families were subjected to periods of isolation during times of full lockdown.  

RESOLVED:                                That the Cabinet Committee noted the content of the report and approved the revised Statement of Purpose for Bridgend Fostering Service.