A CONTROVERSIAL policy to reduce the allowances of foster carers in Bradford did not lead to a mass exodus of carers that was threatened, councillors have been told.

Social care bosses have revealed that the there has been a rise in the number of people approved as foster carers by the Bradford Council in the past year, a rise which was put down to a huge increase in the amount the council spends on advertising for families to become carers.

Last year the Council decided to make cuts to carers’ allowances as part of plans to save £454,000 a year. They said it brought the rates more in line with the national average.

Shortly after, a report into the service said fostering was “declining at an excessive rate” adding: “At current recruitment and departure levels, the fostering system will start to break down within two years.”

The Council recently increased the amount it spent on marketing the service from £10,000 to £100,000.

At a meeting of the Council’s Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee this afternoon members heard how the marketing campaign had boosted the numbers of people applying to become carers.

At the start of the financial year of 2017/18 the Council’s target was to recruit 50 new fostering households.

They have exceeded this target, with 71 new households.

In 2016/17 the council received 340 enquiries about foster caring. This year that figure had risen to 432.

The figures for the people that went from making enquiries to being approved as foster carers also increase - there were 19 approvals this past year (4 per cent) compared to seven approvals (two per cent) in 2016/17.

When asked why the figures were low compared to the number of people making initial enquiries, the committee was told such figures were low across the country.

They heard that issues that arise between initial enquiries and approval could include someone realising they don’t have the space, language barriers due to the need for carers to provide regular updates on the foster children, written in English and confusion by people who mistake fostering for adoption.

Helen Picton, Fostering Marketing and Recruitment Manager, added: “Sometimes people enquire about the financial package. When they realise it is not something a family could live off, we get a big drop off then.”

Councillor Sinead Engel (Lab, Clayton and Fairweather Green) asked: “I remember not long back there was a big furore about the reduction in payments made to foster carers. There was a threat made by one group that if the changes went ahead we would be left with no foster carers in Bradford. What impact if any did these changes make?”

Jim Hopkinson, Deputy Director of Children’s Social Care, said: “We know some carers were upset about that decision. We lost one foster carer who chose to leave because of it.

“I think our communications strategy had a massive effect on keeping the other foster carers. Most foster carers are not in it for the money, they are in it because they want to make the lives of children in Bradford better.