Foster Care

(asked on 16th April 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of peer-to-peer support groups in improving foster care retention.


Answered by
Lord Agnew of Oulton Portrait
Lord Agnew of Oulton
This question was answered on 30th April 2018

The independent review into the fostering system, ‘Foster Care in England’, published 6 February 2018, and the Education Select Committee report, published 22 December 2017, considered the recruitment and retention of foster parents and the support foster parents receive, including peer support. The department is carefully considering the recommendations and the government response will be published later this year.

In addition, the department funds projects to support foster families through the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. This includes the Mockingbird Family Model. One of that project’s aims is to increase rates of foster parent recruitment and retention, which includes providing peer support to foster parents. The project will be subject to rigorous independent evaluation and will inform the evidence base of what works in children’s social care.

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