Ombudsman report highlights ways councils can improve fostering services

When ‘Amie’ left care, her local council did not look into her claim that she suffered abuse while living with foster carers properly.

This is just one of the cases highlighted in the latest Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report about fostering in England which demonstrates what can and has gone wrong in the cases the organisation has investigated.

It looks at issues faced by both fostered children and the carers who support them. Cases include a pair of siblings who appeared settled with a couple who wanted to adopt them but were removed without warning. Another involves a single, first-time foster carer who was not told about the child’s extensive needs leading to the placement breaking down.

In another case, siblings lost valuable time with one another because the council did not do enough to promote contact between them.

The report is the second of a duo of reports into councils’ adoption and fostering services. It looks at the ways councils can improve their services to everyone involved in the fostering process.

It offers good practice and guidance to those councils responsible for children’s services and concludes with a number of questions local Members can ask to scrutinise their offer and council officers can use to reflect on their departments' performance.

“When councils become responsible for children - such as those who are fostered - it is often because there is no one else to look out for them, so it is all the more important they get it right. Who else would fight their corner?” Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal, said.

“Foster carers play a key role in helping to provide stability for these children but need to be given the right tools to do it well. Councils need to ensure they provide the right information and support for the foster carers who look after the children they have ultimate responsibility for.

“I hope councils will read my report and take it in the spirit it is intended – we all want the best for children, and to give them the best start in life, regardless of their family set up.”