Cardiff Council launches 'major drive' to recruit foster carers amid growing demand
To tackle the 'urgent need for more foster carers in the city', Cardiff Council is offering financial support and home improvement grants for foster carers
To tackle the 'urgent need for more foster carers in the city', Cardiff Council is offering financial support and home improvement grants for foster carers to help provide more stable homes for children and young people.
The Council is encouraging residents to consider becoming mainstream foster carers, with a particular need for those who can support sibling groups and older children.
Mainstream foster carers provide care for children and young people who are not related to them, unlike kinship or Connected Persons Foster Carers who are approved to care for a specific child, typically a family member or close friend.
If agreed by Cardiff Council's Cabinet, the initiative would provide capital grant funding to help carers expand their homes, enabling them to accommodate more children, particularly sibling groups and those with complex needs.
As part of the initiative, Cardiff Council is offering:
- £5,000 payment for new mainstream foster carers who provide short- or long-term care for children aged three and above
- £1,000 annual retention bonus for existing mainstream foster carers who provide over 30 weeks of care within a 12-month period
- Capital grants to adapt or extend homes
- Project support, including legal, surveying, and planning assistance
Cabinet Member for Children's Social Services, Cllr Ash Lister said:
"This policy is about putting children first and by supporting our dedicated carers to adapt their homes, we're creating more opportunities for children to stay in familiar, loving environments with people they know and trust and in homes that meet their needs.
"Every child deserves a safe, stable, and loving home and this policy would help us deliver on that promise while ensuring public funds are used ethically and effectively, reducing our reliance on external placements."
The policy is part of a wider strategy to reduce the number of children placed in residential care.