Ealing Council is to support foster carers in the borough with increased weekly payments, exemption from council tax and other help to encourage more people across Ealing and its seven towns to foster children.
At a recent Ealing Council cabinet meeting a number of incentives for existing as well as new foster carers were agreed which included an 18.5% increase in allowances, council tax exemptions and free borough-wide parking permits.
Councillor Josh Blacker, the council’s cabinet member for a fairer start, said: “Fostering recruitment and retention is a national challenge and particularly acute in Ealing. We believe that every child in our borough deserves to get the best start in life, and for those who are in our care we must do everything we can to ensure that they get the best possible care close to home.”
He added: “That’s why we are committing to a range of benefits and incentives to help realise our ambition to significantly increase the number of local foster families, and provide more support for our existing carers to acknowledge the pivotal role they play in the community.”
The council has cited a 2021 Fostering Network UK survey which found that 59% of UK foster carers say that the fostering allowance and expenses they recieve did not meet the full costs of looking after a fostered child.
Councillor Blacker added: “Foster carers are ordinary people who provide something extraordinary to the children they look after. There is no typical foster carer, we need carers from all walks of life. If you have thought about fostering, know someone who might be suitable or just want to find out more I would urge you to get in touch with our friendly fostering team.”
To find out more about fostering, residents can call 0800 731 6550 or click on Ealing Fostering and Adoption.
