Council enters the holiday business

Isle of Wight Council is offering free caravan holidays in a bid to
attract new foster parents.

The council has brought a £22,000 holiday caravan for use by
existing foster parents and new carer families as well as
allocating £10,000 to stage family barbecues and social
events.

The measures are part of a £250,000 package agreed by the
council to encourage more foster parents to come forward and to
stop existing carers leaving for the independent sector.

Children’s services manager Mary Brimson said: “To have taken no
action would have led to a depletion in the range of existing
foster carers, with more looked-after children being placed on the
mainland at some distance from their families and commitments.”