Foster care – Medway children’s care service ‘inadequate’

Medway’s service for children in care has been rated as inadequate in a report by the education watchdog. Ofsted’s inspectors said there were 400 looked-after children and 209 with “care-leaver” status when the inspection was carried out in July. The report highlighted delays in the completion of health assessments and a shortage of nurses. Medway Council said it was making “significant progress” and improvements would continue. Ofsted inspectors said following a previous inspection in January, work in Medway had focused on ensuring all children...

Continue

Liverpool City Council fails to give adequate support to 340 carers

Date Published: 01/08/13 Around 340 carers in the Merseyside area will have their allowances backdated after an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) discovered Liverpool City Council had been underpaying them for years. The investigation was brought about after a woman, who had been looking after her toddler nephew following a domestic violence incident, complained that the council was not paying her the correct benefits. She claimed that the council did not consider her nephew a ‘looked after child’. As a result, she missed...

Continue

Fostering Agency Parallel Parents' Leaflet criticised

Fostering Agency Leaflet The leaflet has been delivered to council housing tenants in Leeds A fostering organisation has been criticised for encouraging council tenants to avoid paying a spare room subsidy by giving a child a home. Parallel Parents leaflets which have been delivered in Leeds say “Avoid the bedroom tax. Help change a child’s life. Become a foster carer”. Carers are exempt from recent benefit cuts for tenants with spare rooms. Parallel Parents said the use of the leaflets was just one recruitment strategy. ‘Truly appalling’ Carole...

Continue