To consider the scheme for the provision of an interest-free loan to adoptive/fostering households who wish to extend or convert their homes in order to offer a wider range or number of placements to CBC children in care.

The Practice Manager, Fostering delivered a report and provided Members with an overview of the scheme, the aims and goals and the proposed initial central funding for carers and fosterers to adapt their properties in order to support additional children.

In light of the report Members discussed the following in summary: -

·         That certain criteria would need to be met by those applying for funding along with an appropriate repayment schedule.

·         Whether foster carers could take older teenagers or permanent placements once the original child/ren had moved on, therefore potentially delaying repayments. It was confirmed that this scenario had been taken into account when drawing up the business model.

·         Affordability was a key factor in ensuring foster carers could repay loans, an appropriate insurance scheme was also in place to support any potential change in circumstances resulting in an inability to make repayments.

·         The scheme could enable siblings to remain together also increasing the possibility of bringing together those siblings who had previously been separated, if appropriate.

·         Whether the initial funding of £100k was considered enough to ensure the scheme’s viability and longevity.

·         The support of foster carers for the scheme.

·         A need to consider those foster carers not living in private accommodation and how they could be supported to adapt their homes via the scheme.

·         That a charge on the property would be applied in order to secure repayment in the event of a sale shortly after adaptations had been made.

·         That repayments would be reinvested in future adaptations in order to support more foster families care for additional children.

RECOMMENDED that the foster carers loan scheme be supported and that the Executive Member ensure flexibility within the budget in order to secure additional funding as necessary.