Ealing Council is offering a raft of new incentives including free parking and no council tax in a desperate bid to find new foster carers.

Foster carers in Ealing will receive a wide range of new and improved benefits costing almost £531,000 over the next two financial years, the council has announced.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 16 October it was revealed that these increased benefits are part of a plan which the council hopes will see a ten per cent increase of in-house foster carers over the next year.

Boroughs across London have seen a decline in the number of foster carers over the last few years, which puts an increased cost back onto councils.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to stretch household finances, in-house carers in Ealing decreased by a third over the last four years. Under these measures, both the council and the carers are expected to save money.

Under new measures, in-house foster carers receiving Band 2 fees or above in Ealing will no longer have to pay council tax in a move expected to cost the council £147,846 over the next two financial years. The exemption does not just apply to foster carers living in Ealing.

Those who care for children from Ealing that live in other boroughs will also reap the benefits of the new scheme if they are receiving Band 1 fees. The council announced that these carers will have their council tax reimbursed, at a projected cost of £50,969.

Councillor Josh Blacker said: "In-house carers do offer the best possible outcomes for the young people we place with them, obviously trying to stay close to their homes in Ealing, family networks, friendship networks in Ealing and so on."

Many in-house foster carers will also see an increase in weekly fees paid to them by the council as part of these efforts to boost the recruitment and retention of carers. From January 1, 2025, those in Band 1 will receive an extra £21.16 per week, Band 2 an extra £28.12, and in Band 3 an extra £37.01.

In addition, those in-house foster carers will receive complimentary permits to park in controlled parking zones. Other measures also include complimentary garden waste collection. Carers will be exempt from paying collection fees. Cllr Blacker said: "We want our young people to have access to the best possible homes, and those with gardens."

The expected savings made by increasing the number of in-house carers instead of paying external agencies adds up to £2.6 million over the next two financial years. Cllr Steve Donnelly said: "It is so much less expensive for us to provide services to our young people in care through the fostering services and on through that from adoption than it is through any other means… it provides such better outcomes. Who could resist such a combination?"

Similar incentives have also been introduced in boroughs across London, such as Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, Southwark and Greenwich.

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