Liverpool City Council is to be part of a new project to transform fostering recruitment and retention across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The Council is one of eight local authorities – Warrington, Wirral, Knowsley, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and St Helens – that will deliver the programme over two years.
Over £1million of the funding will go towards delivering a new, larger and improved Foster4 Recruitment Hub, which will launch in April 2024. It will help all councils in the consortium to deliver a more joined-up approach to foster carer recruitment and provide an offer that is attractive and supportive to prospective carers.
The remaining £1million of funding will go towards extending a programme called Mockingbird, which provides greater support to foster carers and helps retain them effectively. It will feature an experienced Hub Carer at its core, providing crucial support for maintaining placements and ensuring stability and consistency for the children and young people in their care.
Funding has also been awarded for a regional recruitment campaign.
Councillor Liz Parsons, Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services, said: “Recruiting more foster carers and making sure they are well supported to give children in care the best chances in life is a key priority.
“By working together with other local authorities on a regional basis we can share expertise and knowledge, and ensure our resources go further.”
Warrington Borough Council will be the lead authority and will be using previous experiences to assist and support embedding the Mockingbird programme successfully.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer for Liverpool, visit fostering.liverpool.gov.uk
