Decision

Cabinet:

(1)  approved LB Waltham Forest’s continued involvement in Local Community Fostering, as one of the four Local Authorities within the region;

(2)  approved LB Waltham Forest to continue to act as the lead Local Authority pending alternative arrangements or requirements of the programme; and

(3)  delegated authority to the Strategic Director, Children’s Services in consultation with the Strategic Director of Resources, to progress and decide on the expansion of the scope and remit of the Local Community Fostering service, including the development of an end?to?end regional fostering recruitment and assessment model, in line with the Government’s fostering reform agenda.

Options & Alternatives Considered

Option 1: continue as part of the Local Community Fostering regional service with LB Waltham Forest as the lead and further decision making delegated to the Strategic Director, Children’s Services, in consultation with the Strategic Director of Resources (recommended)

As of the end of February 2026, the Local Community Fostering region had approved 54 households against a DfE end of year target of 49.  The region has been recognised by the Children’s minister as one of the top three performing fostering hub regions in the country in terms of approved foster households.  Local data shows variation across the region in assessment timescales, thresholds and conversion rates, providing the opportunity for consistency and improved transparency across the region.

Continuing within the partnership places the Local Community Fostering partners at the forefront of regional collaboration and leadership in line with central governments direction of travel. This option enables all partners to continue to shape a model that reflects local needs while meeting emerging national requirements, ensuring influence over programme design rather than having a model imposed at a later date. Progressing at pace will increase the likelihood of further government investment, given the Minister’s emphasis on supporting authorities leading the programme.

Option 2: continue as part of the Local Community Fostering regional service but with a different lead LA (not recommended)

LB Waltham Forest has led the programme since the initial DfE grant application in May 2023, with the service now fully operational, high?performing and nationally recognised, having exceeded its DfE approval targets.

Changing the lead authority at this stage would introduce significant transitional risk at a critical point in the programme’s expansion, potentially disrupting delivery, delaying decision?making and diverting officer capacity away from service transformation, workforce alignment and performance improvement. Transferring lead authority functions would incur additional cost, officer time and complexity, including the need to renegotiate legal, financial, data?sharing and accountability arrangements, with no clear improvement in outcomes or value for money.

Central government has emphasised the importance of pace, stability and delivery, and a change in lead authority mid?programme could be perceived as destabilising, reducing confidence in the region’s readiness to deliver the expanded end?to?end fostering remit and secure future funding. Strategic consideration of alternative leadership arrangements would be more appropriately aligned with future Regional Care Cooperative governance decisions.

Option 3: exit the Local Community Fostering regional service (not recommended)

This would involve transferring the Lead LA role to another LA in the region as there is otherwise regional consensus to continue.  Although membership of a regional hub is not currently mandated, exiting the programme would be a divergence away from the current fostering reforms and clear messaging from central government. Further it would inhibit our ability to access future funding which will be conditional on a regional model.