Fostering News: Council staff who become foster carers to be given an extra 20 days paid leave

PLANS have been announced for North Lincolnshire Council staff who are foster carers to be granted extra paid leave.

The authority currently provides up to six days of paid leave for employees who are foster carers for the council, in addition to their annual allowance.

But council bosses have proposed to extend the paid leave from six to 20 days in a bid to increase the number of foster carers on its staff from the current figure of 16.

The proposal would see employees get up to five days of paid leave during their assessment for approval in becoming a foster carer.

An additional five days would come during the approval process or when they are caring for a foster child, including time for meetings, training or unforeseen emergencies relating to their fostering role.

The remaining 10 days could be taken at the start or end of a planned permanent placement.

Council leader Liz Redfern said: "We have a responsibility to give foster children the best possible start in life.

"We will be continuing to do this by looking after our employees who are foster carers and by ensuring this role is as accessible as possible.

"We are looking into increasing the number of additional paid leave days to ensure that our foster carers can manage the adoption process alongside work and aren't put under any extra pressure."

Source:
http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Council-staff-foster-carers-given-extra-20-days/story-26814842-detail/story.html

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