Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the work of (a) emergency and (b) short term foster carers in Royal Sutton Coldfield.

The department recognises the incredible work and commitment of emergency and short-term foster carers in providing stability and support for children.

Foster carers play an essential role in children’s lives, and the department remains committed to strengthening support for them.

To achieve this, the department has launched a consultation on updated national standards and guidance for fostering. These standards apply across all fostering arrangements, including emergency, short-term, long-term, short-break and parent-and-child placements.

The standards set clearer expectations for fostering services to provide foster carers with high-quality training, support, multidisciplinary expertise and early intervention, helping to prevent placement breakdown and improve carer retention. They reinforce these expectations for short-break care, emphasising effective information-sharing and supporting relationships between carers, children and families to provide continuity across repeated stays.

Alongside this, the department is investing in the Mockingbird Family Model to expand access to enhanced support and peer networks for foster carers.