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CHAPTER 2: THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

2.1 TIMING OF THE CONSULTATION

2.1.1 The consultation ran from 6 ^th December 2006 until 16 ^th February 2007. In total 111 responses were received, providing a wide range of views and information for consideration. In addition 16 documents listing comments made at the events run by the Fostering Network were submitted.

2.2 NATURE OF THE CONSULTATION

The consultation questions

2.2.1 The consultation document asked 32 questions split over 5 sections:

• What do children and young people tell us they need from fostering and kinship care?;
• Meeting the needs of foster carers;
• Family and friend carers - "Kinship carers";
• Private fostering arrangements;
• Fostering services, including kinship care - planning for the next 20 years.

2.3 RESPONSES

2.3.1 A total of 111 responses to the consultation were received, comprising 59 responses from organisations and 48 from individuals, although 4 consultees did not state which group they belonged to. Among organisations, the largest number of responses received was from local authorities. Among individuals, responses came from both kinship and foster carers as well as other individual respondents.

2.3.2 Although there were no responses received directly from young people, one response did present the views of young people who had taken part in a consultation exercise run by the Fostering Network's Young People's Project. Although the events run for this consultation exercise did not follow exactly the questions in the consultation document, many of the questions asked were similar. We have therefore analysed comments from this response alongside those of other consultees at relevant questions. Thirty-eight young people with experience of foster care participated in 5 meetings across Scotland and discussed the following:

Introduction to the consultation:

• Aims and why the consultation is taking place;
• Respecting confidentiality - yours and other people's;
• Anonymity - we won't use names or identifying info in the feedback report;
• Don't have to say anything you're not comfortable in sharing.

2.3.3 The Fostering Network ran 16 events for foster carers, kinship carers and those working in fostering services, these took place at 6 locations across Scotland. These locations were Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Perth, Inverness, Aberdeen and Glasgow. In total, 50 agencies were represented with 150 delegates participating. The information presented in the 16 event documents included comments on the consultation returned by 94 of the attendees and comments made in groups. This information has been incorporated in the analysis and report, either as quantified data given after each chart or by indicating where comments identified in consultation responses were also made at events. The introductory section which was included with the document produced by the Fostering Network after these events is appended to this report (App. 2); this includes a profile of attendees.

2.3.4 As table 2.1 shows, 48 (44%) of all responses were from individuals and 59 (53%) were from organisations. However, 4% of consultees did not provide this information. Organisational responses have been further segmented into organisation types. Analysis of the response submitted on behalf of young people by the Fostering Network is included in the Voluntary sector sub-group. The 16 reports from Fostering Network events have been analysed separately from the consultation responses in order to give weight to the views expressed there, as comments made at events may have come from more than one attendee. Views expressed at the events have been reported alongside similar comments emerging from responses. Rather than increasing the numbers reported as 'no response' in relation to closed questions, in the few cases where answers were quantified these have been reported alongside relevant charts. In total, 150 delegates participated (28 kinship carers, 61 foster carers and 61 practitioners).

Table 2.1 Total number of Consultees by Category

(* figures may not add due to rounding)

Gaps in Respondent Type

2.3.5 A scan of the respondent list along with a review of the consultee organisations revealed no responses received directly from young people. However, as mentioned, one response did report the views of young people who had taken part in a consultation exercise run by the Fostering Network's Young People's Project. The response detailing their views is included in the Voluntary Sector sub-group for analysis purposes.

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