Staying put and home stays

Staying put 

Our cared for young people tell us that remaining with their foster carers is important to them and our care experienced young people and separated young people tell us that they like the choice of remaining with their foster carers or moving into a new home which offers them more independence. We know we need to do more to make this more accessible for young people by growing the current number of staying put arrangements. 

Improving sufficiency through: 

• targeting foster carer recruitment to include staying put and promoting staying put with the current cohort of foster carers
• reviewing the incentives linked to staying close as part of the recruitment and retention strategy for foster cares
• exploring alternatives to staying put which support cared for young people to remain in family homes post 18 as an alternative to supported and semi supported homes

Home stays 

We have recognised as a service for children, the need for supported lodgings provision for Care Experienced young people who have a plan of moving towards independence. The service is in the process of registration with Ofsted. As of April 2024, Cumbria have 30 providers and across the Cumberland footprint and we have 13 provider hosts who are supporting 16 care experienced young people. It is our intention to expand this opportunity in line with the growth of the fostering service and supporting living provisions.