FOSTER carers in Torfaen will be able to access counselling in the future.
Although the county borough council is responsible for the recruitment, support and supervision of in-house foster carers, they have self-employed status.
This means some of the council’s employment benefits, including counselling and sickness entitlement, are not available to them.
However, the council’s chief officer for social care and housing, Keith Rutherford, has decided to extend the counselling offer to the in-house foster carers.
The report on the decision says: “Where foster placements are identified to be at risk of break down, a placement stability meeting is arranged at the earliest opportunity in order to discuss any issues and consider what additional support could be provided to stabilise the placement and avoid breakdown.
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“The offer of counselling for foster carers could assist in ensuring greater placement stability for our looked after children.”
Each session would cost £45 per person and would be covered by the council’s existing budget for the family placement team.
Employees of the council can currently access up to six sessions and this will be extended to foster carers.
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The department has said that as long as the costs don’t increase significantly and the take-up isn’t high, then it could be managed within the current budget.
Now that the decision has been made, the council will advise their foster carers of the offer for counselling.
The list of foster carers will be provided to occupational health so counselling sessions can be booked.
Any requests for counselling support would have to be approved by a family placement team manager first
The county borough council report says the support could help with the recruitment of foster carers going forward and help keep foster carers on in the future. It would also provide “greater placement stability” for the looked-after children.
There are currently 440 looked-after children in Torfaen, and 292 (66 per cent) of them are placed with foster carers.
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