Foster carers in Wrexham could be offered 75 per cent council tax discount to encourage more to come forward

FOSTER carers in Wrexham could be offered a 75 per cent reduction in their council tax bill in a bid to encourage more to come forward.
It comes as senior councillors are aiming to address the rising cost of placing children with independent foster agencies, which often results in them having to live outside the county borough.
According to Wrexham Council, the average amount paid an for agency placement is approximately £819 per week, compared to £184 for an in-house foster carer.
The local authority was funding 76 external placements at the start of this year.
It is estimated that offering the incentive, which will apply to all foster carers approved by the council, would cost it £107,000 per year.
However, this would be offset by savings of around £651,000 if 25 per cent of placements are brought back in-house.
Councillor Andrew Atkinson, lead member for children’s services, said it was important to ensure youngsters are kept in the Wrexham area.
In a report, he said: “Currently, there are insufficient foster carers approved by Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) fostering service to meet the demand for children who need to be in foster care in their local area.
“This proposal will assist the recruitment of more foster carers living within the boundaries of WCBC and this will enable children to stay in their communities and to allow them to maintain relationships by keeping in regular contact with family and friends.
“In addition to maintaining education and health networks and promoting their sense of identity.
“There needs to be a significant increase in our current pool of foster carers and supported lodgings providers within the borough of Wrexham.”
The council is currently responsible for 332 looked after children, but only has a pool of 113 foster carers available.
It has resulted in the authority becoming reliant on agencies and residential care providers, many of which are run by private companies.
In a seperate move, it is also looking to offer incentives to council staff who become foster carers by offering them up to five days extra of annual leave.
The policy is intended to enable them to attend relevant meetings and training sessions
Cllr Atkinson said: “In relation to the foster friendly employment policy, there are currently nine foster carers who are also employed by Wrexham County Borough Council.
“The policy will apply to all employees of the council including those on temporary/fixed term contracts, it does not apply to relief or agency workers or contractors.”
He added the policy would not automatically apply to school staff, but would be recommended to governing bodies as an example of good practice.
The council’s ruling independent/Conservative executive board will consider the proposals at a meeting being held on Tuesday, March 10.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter