Minister for Children and Social Care, was in Belfast this week to
learn more about a successful pioneering approach which is
helping to reduce the number of children entering care and is now
being piloted in Wales.
The Fostering Network Step-Up Step-Down (SUSD) project sees
specialist, highly trained family support foster carers work with
the whole family to help stabilise their circumstances, offer
short breaks for children and give parents time to address their
challenges with support.
In Northern Ireland, between 2016 and 2023, the SUSD supported
183 children with 95% remaining with their parents rather than
being taken into care. 109 parents and carers have also been
supported in that time.
The Welsh Government has provided £879,000 to the Fostering
Network over a three-year period to pilot the SUSD programme
within Pembrokeshire and Powys local authority areas in
Wales.
The programme is supporting those on the edge of care and will
help improve outcomes for children and families. Engaging
families in co-producing the types of support and activities to
best meet their needs is key to its success.
An evaluation of the programme will continue throughout the pilot
with the final report set to be published in March 2026.
Minister for Children and Social Care, said:
“The Welsh Government has a vision to radically transform the
experience of children looked after in Wales.
“At the heart of this work, is seeing fewer children and young
people needing to enter care. For those who do, we want their
stay to be as short as possible and meet their needs as close to
home as possible so they can continue to be part of their
community.
“I have been pleased to learn about the success of the Step-Up
Step-Down project in Northern Ireland in keeping families
together, and to hear directly from those families who have
benefitted from the project.
“The pilot in Wales is progressing positively and I look forward
to hearing more about how this new approach is working for
families on the edge of care.”
Northern Ireland Health Minister said:
“I am proud to say that the Step Up, Step Down programme was
developed in Northern Ireland. It uses foster carers' unique
skills and expertise to support children and families on the edge
of care to stay together and create stable family relationships.
“By supporting children to remain with their families with the
support of a foster carer, providing mentoring support and short
breaks is an approach which has resulted in many children
remaining safely at home here. At its heart, the service focuses
on facilitating meaningful and consistent relationships,
understanding attachment and trauma, and ensuring the child is at
the heart of the service. I want to thank Minister Bowden for her
interest, and I hope that our Welsh colleagues can take learning
back to inform their policy decisions.”
