Funding boost for fostering across Cheshire and Merseyside

19 December 2023

Councils across Cheshire and Merseyside have secured more than £2.3million from the Department for Education to transform foster carer recruitment and retention across the region. 

Cheshire East Council will work with seven other local authorities – Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington, Halton, Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley and St Helens to deliver the programme over two years.

More than £1million of the funding will go towards delivering a new, larger and improved fostering recruitment hub, which will launch in April 2024. The improved hub will help all councils 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 funding will go towards the Mockingbird programme, which nurtures the relationships between children, young people and foster families supporting them to build a resilient and caring community of six to ten satellite families - called a constellation.

Warrington Borough Council and Cheshire East Council will add another constellation to provide greater support to even more foster carers who will benefit from the model. All the other councils will also have the opportunity to set up and embed their own first constellation using this funding. 

Cheshire East Council has already set up two Mockingbird constellations which feature an experienced hub carer at its core, providing crucial support for maintaining stable homes (often called placements) and ensuring consistency for the children and young people in their care.

Warrington Borough Council will lead the programme of work and will use previous experience to assist and support the other areas in the region on their journey to embedding Mockingbird successfully.

Funding has also been awarded for a regional recruitment campaign, where Warrington, along with its seven partner councils across Cheshire and Merseyside, will promote a new and improved offer that will attract and support foster carers for years to come. 

Councillor Carol Bulman, lead member for children’s services at Cheshire East Council, said: “I absolutely welcome this funding to help recruit new foster carers and support our existing carers across both the borough and the region.

“Currently there are more than 540 children and young people across Cheshire East who are in the care of the council. A shortage of foster places mean that some children live out of the borough and away from their school, friends and family.

“In Cheshire East, we believe caring for our cared for children and care leavers is one of our most important responsibilities. Working with our partners across the region, we remain committed to cared for children being safe and having the love and opportunities we want for all our children.”

Councillor Sarah Hall, cabinet member for children's services at Warrington Borough Council, said: "We are thrilled to have received this funding boost so that we can work with our partner councils to really transform fostering recruitment and retention across Cheshire and Merseyside. 

“We are committed to ensuring that both foster carers and children in care have access to the best possible support. This funding will help to make a huge difference to children and carers through the Mockingbird programme, and the new Foster4 Hub and campaign will help to address the recruitment and retention challenges every council is currently facing.

“This funding is going to help us transform fostering services not only in Warrington, but across the entire region."

To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Cheshire East, then visit www.togetherforfostering.com email: fostering@cheshireeast.gov.uk  or call 0300 123 3223.