Flintshire social services highlight urgent need for new foster carers
There are around 260 children in foster care in Flintshire looked after by 83 foster families.
Some of those foster families are 'connected persons' – people with a family link to the children in their care like grandparents.
Others are 'general foster carers'. These are people who take in any children in need of stability and care on behalf of Flintshire County Council.
The authority has a strong track record of providing high quality support for children in foster care, but is facing difficulty recruiting new families.
In 2024/25 Flintshire's recruitment target was 12 new families to meet demand. It approved just three general foster carers and two connected persons.
Concerned about the low recruitment level, Brynford and Halkyn councillor Fran Lister asked: 'Is there a good retention of foster carers? Since Covid lots of people may be using spare rooms to work in and I'm just wondering whether the foster care market has declined since then and if we need to take that into account.
'The target was 12, there was five this year which is obviously nowhere near what we need. Is there any more we can do to recruit foster carers that are so desperately needed?'
Outreach work is ongoing according to Jane Davies, Senior Manager for Safeguarding and Commissioning in Flintshire Social Services.
But low numbers of applicants and the challenge of approving those suitable to foster has posed difficulties for Flintshire's fostering team.
'The demographic has changed – some existing foster carers have got older and have retired or are now looking after their own grandchildren so that has had an impact,' she said.
'We have also had less people coming forward as new foster carers. Part of that is lifestyle and expectations since Covid.
'It's not for everybody, it's a really difficult role and you have to be a certain sort of person to be a foster carer.'
Ms Davies added that Flintshire was actively reaching out to promote its in-house foster care service to attract more applicants.
'We have policies to encourage our own council staff to become foster carers and supportive mechanisms to assist with that, we offer council tax discretion as in other North Wales authorities and we have a dedicated officer within the fostering team who supports promoting the service through social media and advertising.
'The fostering team, which is based in Flint, will have a presence at the Eisteddfod in Wrexham in three weeks. They will also have a presence at the Royal Welsh Show.
'There people will be able to go and learn more about becoming foster carers, understand better what it entails.
'It's important we get into lots of places and there is lots of activity around this to promote fostering.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Country's 'strictest' state schools revealed – where does your child's rank?
The number of suspensions at state-funded secondaries in England has more than doubled since before the Covid-19 pandemic, government figures show A failing school backed by the Co-op handed out twice as many suspensions in just a year as there are pupils, we can reveal. An astonishing 3,174 suspensions were made at the Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford – nearly 17 a day. The remarkable figure represents the highest at any state secondary in 2023-4, analysis of newly-released Department for Education (DfE) figures show. It comes as the number of suspensions at state-funded secondaries has more than doubled since before the Covid-19 pandemic. There were 22.6 suspensions per 100 pupils in 2023-4 –a rise from 10.7 in 2018-19. It means the overall number has jumped from 357,715 to 829,896 during the period. Co-op Academy Grange – which can educate up to 1,500 pupils – is part of a trust sponsored by the Co-op Group, the UK's fifth largest food retailer. On its website, Co-op Academy Grange boasts 'we strive to create a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports academic achievement and personal development'. But in June 2023, it was warned by the DfE with termination as a letter stated: 'The number of suspensions for poor behaviour is too high and increasing. This is especially true for disadvantaged pupils and for pupils with SEND. This results in pupils missing valuable learning time and falling behind their peers. Leaders should examine more effectively the causes for vulnerable pupils receiving suspensions and put strategies in place which address these.' The DfE letter added: 'The number of pupils removed from lessons for poor behaviour is high. This disrupts pupils' learning and limits their progression through the curriculum.' And a watchdog inspection in February found the school required improvement across four categories. The Ofsted inspection report, which noted there were 1450 pupils on the school roll, said: 'Actions taken by the school have resulted in the number of pupils' suspensions being much lower than in previous years, although it is still too high.' The regulator rated the school requiring improvement across four categories. The number of suspensions at the school in 2023-4 averaged almost 17 a day across a standard 190-day school year. Camborne Science and International Academy in Cornwall had the next highest number of suspensions with 2,976. The suspension rate was highest in the North East of England, with 39.7 for every 100 pupils. A National Education Union spokesperson said: "The rise in pupil suspensions is a worrying development, especially in secondary schools. When you ask teachers what they need to help students who are struggling, they talk about insufficient numbers of staff, an over-packed curriculum, insufficient pastoral staff, and point to the practically non-existent mental health support for children and young people. 'Schools used to have budgets available for staff to focus on working with families, create small group work for pupils, and additional mentoring for those who need it. All these initiatives are gone because of budget cuts. Bulging class sizes in secondary schools are also a factor. The government's current focus on training and other low-cost initiatives will not solve this problem. What they must get to grips with is the historic shortfall in the funding of schools and local authorities to provide the support families and children so obviously need." Co-op Academies Trust said: 'Over the past few years, we have achieved a dramatic reduction in the rate of behaviour sanctions through concerted efforts across our school, including to raise standards in behaviour and attitudes with the support of parents and families. These figures relate to the 2023/24 academic year and therefore no longer reflect the current picture at the school – indeed data for the current school year already show a further reduction of 50% for suspensions. We remain firmly on a path to accelerating these improvements as we work to ensure every student has access to the educational opportunities and productive learning environment they deserve. Indeed, we were encouraged by feedback from Ofsted in February 2025, which highlighted the strong evidence of improvement underway." A spokesperson for Athena Learning Trust, which Camborne is part of, said: "It's worth noting that with almost 2,000 students, Camborne is nearing twice the size of the average secondary school and so the numbers are always likely to be higher than for a smaller school. The figures referenced also relate to the year before last and we are really pleased that the most recent data shows a clear reduction in suspensions across all our schools. In fact, at Camborne Science and International Academy, suspensions have gone down by over 50 per cent compared to the data published by the DfE. We set the bar high - and we don't shy away from that. In fact, we believe children thrive when they know exactly what's expected of them. The fact that suspensions have more than halved this year, while our expectations have remained just as ambitious, shows that when you hold the line and support students to meet it, they rise to the challenge.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Every child deserves to learn in a calm, safe and supportive environment, which is why this government has stepped in to support schools like Co-op Academy Grange through our new regional improvement programme, providing tailored, expert help to improve standards, and reduce avoidable suspensions. More widely, through our Plan for Change, we've wasted no time in tackling the root causes of poor behaviour, including by working to provide access to mental health support in every school, give children the fuel they need to learn through free breakfast clubs and expand free school meals. We are also setting up new behaviour hubs, that will deliver intensive support to 500 schools across the country facing the greatest challenges with their behaviour.'
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
A ‘forgotten' east London river is being revived in a £3 million project
Members of the public in Ilford will soon be given access to east London's 'almost forgotten' River Roding, developers have said. A £3 million regeneration scheme will see the river turned into a new public paradise, with bridges, green spaces and riverside walks. In the project which the Mayor of London hopes will see neglected public places given a new lease of life, developers will rewild a local golf course, alongside building a new bridge, pocket park and boardwalk. The scheme, officially called the Ilford Arrival, is being designed by spatial design agency Periscope. It's being funded by an investment scheme from the Mayor's office, called the Greater London Authority's Civic Partnership Programme (CPP). CPP aims to target suffering and disregarded areas that are poorly affected by 'long-standing inequalities that have been exacerbated by Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency'. Daniel Rea, founding director of Periscope, said: 'Redbridge is one of London's greenest boroughs and Ilford is blessed with the River Roding and the Roding Valley. 'But, as it stands, what should be a public amenity is almost forgotten.' The green regeneration is still in its development stage. Most recently the developers met with a group of girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 25 as part of a consultancy to make sure the project will make life better for all the different demographics in the area. Rea added: 'At a time of housing need and with enormous pressure to build, it's crucial that local people are empowered to shape their own neighbourhoods. Too often regeneration is something that is done to communities, rather than with them. This approach gives them real agency.' The timeline for building the Ilford Arrival hasn't been revealed yet.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
New award for Wales to bring forest education to youngsters
The Welsh edition of the award was launched by the Royal Forestry Society, with support from Natural Resources Wales, at the Royal Welsh Show. It will help inspire youngsters to learn about their local trees and woodlands. Since its launch in 2019, 100,000 children and young people have participated in the RFS Junior Forester Award across England and Scotland. The Welsh award means those in Wales can now take part in activities and resources which meet the specific needs of the Curriculum for Wales. The six-session programme, available in Welsh and English, is designed to suit all ages from four to 14 and aims to give children the skills and knowledge to care for the trees in their school grounds and in the wider community. The Welsh edition includes an explanation of how each section relates to the Curriculum for Wales, links to NRW resources, ideas for places to visit and Welsh projects to get involved in. Becky Wilkinson, author of the JFA, said: 'Over the past six years, it has been wonderful to see how much children have benefitted from the Junior Forester Award and enjoyed taking responsibility for the trees in their community.' Lyndsey Rawlinson, NRW's head of land stewardship, said: 'As managers of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate covering 126,000 hectares we welcome this award which helps children and young people gain an insight into forestry. 'Trees play an essential role in delivering our well-being objectives to help nature and people thrive and children are key to helping deliver this for future generations.' The award can be used by schools, community organisations or families who want to get their kids or pupils engaged in their natural surroundings. All that is needed is access to a small number of trees, a free downloadable Junior Forester Award handbook for the leader and a booklet for each child. Downloadable certificates are provided for free by the RFS and optional badges are available for purchase on the RFS online shop.
