£1.2m investment to boost fostering in Blackpool

Blackpool Council is one of five local authorities set to benefit from £1.2m to boost foster carer recruitment in the region.

Along with Blackburn with Darwen Council, Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, and Lancashire County Council, the council has been successful in a regional bid for Department for Education funding to launch a regional foster carer recruitment hub by April 2024.

The Regional Fostering Recruitment and Retention Hub will serve as a pathfinder and will help others learn how to successfully implement regional approaches, nationally.

The hub will act as a first point of contact for those interested in fostering. During the next two years, the government has pledged to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme so foster care is available for more children who need it.

Blackburn with Darwen Council is the lead local authority and will collaborate with the other councils to tackle a foster carer recruitment crisis in the North West and provide stable family homes to more children.

Cllr Jim Hobson, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded £1.2m funding for the Regional Fostering Hub.

“Foster carer numbers are falling with more foster carers leaving than joining last year, which is why we’re working harder than ever to encourage more people into foster care.

“We hope that this collaborative approach to foster carer recruitment will encourage more people to come forward and consider fostering in Blackpool and across Lancashire.

“If you have what it takes to be a foster carer or know someone who might be suitable, please get in touch with our friendly team and find out more.”

The aim of the hub will be to build upon regional relationships to achieve a shared vision for foster care.

Launching by April 2024, it will also help carers make an informed choice about how fostering could work for them and to guide them through the approval process.

In total, there will be 10 similar clusters running this programme across the country, comprised of 98 local authorities.

To find out more about fostering with Blackpool Council, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/Fostering or call 01253 420222.