The face of foster care in North East Lincolnshire is to change dramatically with the advent of self-employed foster parents, who will earn £31,200 a year for their efforts.

North East Lincolnshire Council is recruiting six single placement carers who will take in one severely disabled child or youngster with behavioural problems who would otherwise have to be sent out of the county to residential care at a cost of £2,500 a week to the authority.

Unlike conventional foster carers who receive a boarding fee to pay for the child's upkeep but no wage, each single placement carer will be paid to look after the youngster and will also receive a boarding allowance to cover food costs.

Penny Wagstaff, (pictured) manager of NELC social services fostering and adoption team, said it was likely the single carer foster parents would be former youth workers, school teachers or similar.

She added: "These people are going to be caring for the most difficult children, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are gong to require a lot of time and commitment.

"They will need either existing skills or be able to develop very quickly skills to work with children with disabilities."

And she said the fee paid to the carers reflected the long-term commitment they would have to show.

"There is an expectation that they will not give up unless something dire happens. It is a professional commitment and we have to have people who know what is expected of them because they will be expected to care for a child with significant emotional difficulties, children, who at times, may pose a risk to themselves or their carers."

Single placement carers are part of NELC's Placement Choice Strategy which is designed to improve the quality and range of placements available to children in the care of the authority.

Each new foster parent will be required to look after the child for as long as they remain in the system and will receive thorough group training and one-to-one assessment prior to formal acceptance onto the scheme in November 2001.

Councillor Kelly Bradley, Cabinet member for social care, said: "This small scheme complements the work of our existing foster carers by offering placements for particularly challenging children.

"The council continues to value the large number of people who offer their homes to care for children without financial gain."

Anyone interested in fostering, particularly teenagers, should contact the fostering and adoption team on (01472) 325555. Application forms are available from Human Resources, NELC, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby (01472) 325530.

Used courtesy of the Grimby Evening Telegraph