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SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
MEETING ON 15 DECEMBER 2000 AT BLACKPOOL
JOINT REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR AND FINANCIAL ADVISER
REVIEW OF BOARDING-OUT ALLOWANCES
1. Matter for Consideration:
To consider the role of Social Services North West in making recommendations about the rate of boarding-out allowances
in member authorities.
2. Introduction:
Collaboration amongst North West authorities around the rates of payment to foster parents dates back at least
to the 1960s, because otherwise difficulties would have resulted from a large number of authorities in closely-knit
conurbations paying different rates. These arrangements were brought under the Children's Regional Planning Committee
when it was formed in 1971, and has been continued by NWASSA.
3. Information:
3.1 Over the years, individual authorities have responded to various pressures to increase their rates. Some of
these have come from the National Foster Care Association, who make recommendations which are consistently higher
than what NWASSA has been able to approve, and others from changing work patterns and attitudes of foster carers.
These in turn had an impact on recruitment and retention. Many authorities therefore introduced schemes supplementary
to the 'NWASSA rate', which reduced the degree of consistency of payments across authorities in the North West.
3.2 In recent years, faced with rising need for care of children away from home, and rising standards as exemplified
by the Quality Protects programme, a large number of member authorities have departed completely from the regional
rate approach. They have either adopted NFCA rates, or otherwise increased the allowances they pay in response
to their assessment of local need and the 'market' for foster carers. A major factor affecting consideration of
these issues is the rapid growth of private fostering agencies, which pay higher allowances to foster carers but
charge even higher fees to local authorities.
3.3 Practice in this area was examined in the Social Services North West conference on Good Practice in Foster
Care in September 2000. Officers from all but three member authorities were joined by councillors and foster carers
from all over the North West as over 60 delegates considered issues around mental health, education, support and
payments. Opened by SSNW Chair Councillor Cliff Morris, the event also heard from Dorothy Lewis of the Department
of Health's Quality Protects team, and Pat Verity from the National Foster Care Association.
3.4 There was a consensus that the exchange of good practice had proved extremely useful, as it was essential for
all authorities to raise their levels of foster care practice. This needed to be done not only because it was right;
not only because the Department of Health requires it, but because the foster care market is maturing, and independent
providers will recruit at the expense (in every sense) of local authorities. However, Pat Verity and the foster
carers present said that most would wish to stay and work directly with local authorities, provided their concerns
were addressed. There was therefore a strong incentive for local authorities to improve their practice from within,
and a realisation that the old 'NWASSA rate' system appears to have outlived its usefulness. It was therefore necessary
for Social Services North West to instigate a fundamental review of the regional role in relation to fostering
practice.
3.5 A recent trawl of Directors has confirmed the picture that the majority of authorities have now either adapted
the 'NWASSA rate' extensively to suit their local needs, or put their payment system on a different basis entirely.
This confirms the view that Social Services North West should not, in the long term, seek to prescribe the rates
of allowances which member authorities pay. There is however a need to look again at regional level at good practice
in foster care, addressing afresh the question of the appropriate role for a regional organisation to play in this
field. The ADSS NW Lead Directors on children's issues are happy to work jointly with Social Services to undertake
such a review.
3.6 A small proportion of authorities still do adhere to the 'NWASSA rate', and have requested that, pending the
above review, a recommendation be made in respect of the financial year 2001/02. The inflation provision made in
the Comprehensive Spending Review is 2.5%, and accordingly the Financial Adviser recommends, as in previous years,
that allowances should be increased to meet the anticipated inflation rate. This is reflected in the attached Appendix.
4. Recommendations:
4.1 That a comprehensive review be undertaken, jointly with ADSS North West, of the regional role in promoting
good practice in foster care.
4.2 That for the benefit of those authorities still relying on a regional point of reference, Social Services North
West recommends, for a final year in 2000/01, an inflation increase in the rates recommended by NWASSA in previous
years, as set out in the attached Appendix.
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