Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of peer-to-peer support groups for foster carers.

The Education Select Committee and the government’s independent review into foster care considered the support foster carers receive, including peer support. The department is carefully considering the recommendations and the government response will be published in spring this year. The independent review is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/
%0b679320/Foster_Care_in_England_Review.pdf.

In addition, the department funds projects to support foster families through the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. This includes the Mockingbird Family Model. One of that project’s aims is to increase rates of foster parent recruitment and retention, which includes providing peer support to foster parents. The project will be subject to rigorous independent evaluation and will inform the evidence base of what works in children’s social care.