HARLOW foster parents are to get a cash boost to encourage more people to take in children reports the Local Democracy Reporter.

It comes after Essex County Council announced last year it faces a “major problem” if the number of foster families does not increase in the county.

It says that as the number of children coming into care increases, it needs to dramatically increase the number of foster spaces in Essex, which it says is proving increasingly difficult with its current approach.

To address the issue, foster carers’ fees are set to rise, on average, by 16 per cent, which is in line with inflation.

Foster carers, including those who join in 2025, will also benefit from increases, including a £2,000 one-off loyalty bonus to households who fostered during 2024 and a £2,000 welcome bonus to new fostering households during 2025.

How much people can earn depends on the type of foster care provided and the age of the child or children.

For a child between 11 and 15, foster carers receive £537 per week. This equals a total annual income of just under £28,000.

This rises to £1,317 per week for children with complex needs.

Councillor John Spence, cabinet member for children’s services, adult social care and public health, said: “We are proud to announce these increases in recognition of the vital role that foster carers play in children and young people’s lives. We are grateful for the dedication and patience of foster carers and hope the increases will encourage more people to start fostering. If you have ever considered fostering, please find out more as you could provide a child with the care and stability they need for a brighter future.”

During the Full Council meeting, Nicole Wood was also formally confirmed as the council’s new Chief Executive. Nicole has now officially taken over from Gavin Jones, who announced his retirement last autumn.

The £1.3 million Essex Year of Opportunity was also announced at the Full Council meeting. Building on the success of the Essex Year of Reading and Essex Year of Numbers, the council will empower and inspire people to gain new skills and pursue exciting career opportunities through this latest campaign.

In Essex, there were 410 local authority-managed foster households in 2023/24 – down from 415 last year and 510 in 2019/2020. In 2023/2024, the number of newly approved households stood at 35 – up from the 30 approved last year but down from the 105 approved in 2019/2020.

Councillor Spence added that residential care is more than 10 times more expensive than placing a child with a foster family.

The council has said it will not reach the target of 74 per cent of all children in care to be placed in foster placements by 2028 and the target of 95 per cent of all the children in fostering to be placed in Essex County Council’s in-house fostering provision. The county has 800 children being fostered in Essex, of whom 688 were at the last count through internal fostering – where they benefit from all the training and support packages that the council can offer – at a cost of around £26,000 a year. The remainder are with independent foster agencies who charge around double that.

However, it has nearly 100 children in residential care at an average cost of £300,000 per child per annum. The council says the top 15 residential care placements collectively cost nearly £10 million alone.

Councillor Chris Whitbread added the council was hopeful the extra cash would address the wider cost pressures facing children’s services.

He said: ”The key thing to remember with this, of course, is it’s the best way possible of placing a child. It is a really good thing to be doing to address some of the issues we have in that area.

“One of the biggest challenges we have been facing in recent times is around children’s services.

“Children’s services and the pressure we have there on cost are just real – we have seen a £20 million overspend this year – it is around the charges for placements and the complexities of the placements that we have. It will be an ongoing issue.”