20-278 Foster Carer Recruitment - Digital Marketing Services

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and the Fostering Service are committed to working with service users, carers, the wider community, and partner agencies to promote the welfare of the Looked After Children and improve their life chances by providing services which: . • Support families; • Provide stable, safe effective alternative care at the right time and for the right length of time and which are responsive to individual needs, circumstances and choice; • Maintain wherever possible continuity of educational provision. . In meeting these aims and objectives, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council will work to secure ‘sufficient accommodation’ as required by Section 22G of the Children Act, 1989 (as inserted by the Children and Young People Act, 2008) which places a general duty on Local Authorities to secure sufficient accommodation within their boundaries to meet the needs of Looked After Children. . To meet the sufficiency challenge in Rotherham and to provide a more balanced and sustainable placement mix we are investing in a Digital Marketing Service to increase the amount of in-house Foster Carers within RMBC. . Our vision is to recruit an additional 45 Foster Carers a year with the Foster Carer Recruitment – Digital Marketing Service being central to helping us achieve this; working in close partnership with the Rotherham Fostering Service and key stakeholders across RMBC. . The aim of the service is: • increase the amount of approved Foster Carers for RMBC to meet current and future sufficiency requirements for looked after children . The objective of the service is to: . • develop and deliver a marketing and engagement strategy utilising a range of media channels to create a broad pipeline of prospective Foster Carers for Rotherham. . • Provide marketing and data insight and expertise to support the existing Fostering Service, supporting the development of a clear evidence-based Foster Carer recruitment journey On that note RMBC are looking to tender for these services. . It is anticipated that the contract will commence on 01/04/2022 and will run for a period of three years making the expiry date 31/03/2025. The contract will have an option to extend by up to a further two years in any number or combination of extensions at the sole discretion of the Council, making the latest possible expiry date 31/03/2027. .