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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that: 6.1 the Fostering Payments Framework be endorsed. 6.2 the proposal to implement the Framework from December 2025 be agreed.
RESOLVED that the report and its recommendations be endorsed.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor P.M. Hughes.
There were no declarations of personal interest.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 29th September 2025 be signed as a correct record.
The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.
The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that: 6.1 the Fostering Payments Framework be endorsed. 6.2 the proposal to implement the Framework from December 2025 be agreed.
The Cabinet received a report on proposed changes to foster carer payments. The Cabinet Member for Integrated Health and Children and Adult Social Services presented the report to the Cabinet and set out the proposed Fostering Payments Framework including a new banding system, the financial and other support provided to foster carers as well as expectations of carers. The Framework focuses on the specific needs of the children in the authority’s care and what carers will need to meet those needs. The banding system aims to ensure that carers receive appropriate compensation for the level of care they provide. The Cabinet was advised that the fostering banding system is divided into six categories, each reflecting the varying levels of care required. The authority had lost a third of its foster carers in the period between 2018 and 2022 and this number had not increased by May 2025. This reduction of in-house foster placements created a reliance on external independent fostering agencies and private provider children’s homes to make up the gap. These are commissioned at significant, unpredictable cost. The Cabinet Member noted that the traditional model of fostering based on the availability of an additional room in a family home, with one adult working and another at home, available to care full time for children, no longer fits with modern family life. Environmental and socio-economic factors, such as the cost-of-living increases, has seen adult children remaining living at home for longer. At the same time Welsh Government’s ‘Elimination of Profit’ commitment obligates Carmarthenshire, and all other Welsh Local Authorities, to develop our ‘in house’ placement sufficiency in preparation for implementation of the commitment from 2027. This policy will be implemented from December 2025, aiming to have all payments aligned to the new framework by April 2026. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that: 6.1 the Fostering Payments Framework be endorsed. 6.2 the proposal to implement the Framework from December 2025 be agreed.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the report and its recommendations be endorsed.
The Cabinet received a report from the Place, Sustainability & Climate Change Scrutiny Committee Task & Finish group on the Dog Breeding Licensing Function of the Consumer and Business Affairs Animal Health Team. At its meeting on 14th December 2023, the Place, Sustainability and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee agreed the establishment of the Task & Finish group. The recommendations contained within the report were formulated by the Group following the consideration of a range of evidence over a series of meetings held between February 2024 and March 2025. The key aims of the Task & Finish review were set out in the report, which concluded with 5 Local recommendations and 7 National recommendations for the Cabinet to consider. The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee presented the report to the Cabinet and advised that it responds to long-standing concerns around illegal dog breeding in the county. The Cabinet was advised that there were currently resource constraints in the licensing team, with only 1.8 equivalent full-time officers, managing animal licensing. There was frustration from licensed breeders over lack of action into illegal breeding, and 98% of public responders to the consultation asked for more proactive investigation into illegal breeding. The Cabinet was advised of several key local recommendations, including a review of cost recovery, public education, more consistent standards for breeders and increased resources for enforcement. The Cabinet was asked to write to Welsh Government regarding resources for enforcement, including for the regional Animal Licensing Wales team, loopholes in legislation and licensing conditions and the lack of a representative group for dog breeders nationally. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability responded to the presentation and commended the Task & Finish group for its important and constructive work. The Cabinet Member noted the complexity of legislation in this area and that the report clearly distinguished between areas where change depends on national policy, where the Council can continue to lobby Welsh Government, and areas where the Council can act locally to strengthen its own policies and practice. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report and its recommendations be endorsed.
The Chair advised that there were no items of urgent business.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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