Social care officials in Hertfordshire are looking to recruit a small number of 'extraordinary people' to care for some of the county's most vulnerable youngsters . . . with the offer of an annual £80k allowance per child.

Former police officers, teachers, health professionals and social workers are among those being targeted to join the county council's NEST scheme, which stands for 'nurture, empathy and supporting transitions'.

Those selected for the scheme will be asked to foster the children, who would otherwise require residential care, until they reach adulthood.

There are already two children who have moved from residential care to NEST foster placements, as part of the county's groundbreaking pilot scheme.

By January (2026), officials at Hertfordshire County Council say they hope a further three children in care will have been placed in the project, bringing the total number of children to five.

The children – expected to be aged seven and above – will all have spent time in residential children's homes and may have suffered significant trauma.

Unlike the council's network of 'mainstream' foster carers, NEST foster carers won't be allowed to have any other child under-16 living at home and would have to give up any existing employment.

Officials say they expect the NEST foster placements to lead to positive outcomes for the individual children involved.

And with each residential care placement costing the council in excess of £300,000 a year, they say the NEST scheme will actually save the council money too, to the tune of £220,000 a year per child.

Crucially, the scheme, say officers, will also allow more children in care to remain within Hertfordshire – maintaining existing links with family, friends and schools.

The county council's head of fostering, kinship and adoption, Lynn Knowles, believes the scheme is an important addition to services for children in care in the county.

"There are children where we think having a family home environment would be beneficial – where they don't have to share or compete to have their needs met," she said.

"And for them, having a war,m homely environment with one or two parental figures to identify with can be better."

Ms Knowles points to the potential emotional, physical and educational benefits for the child.

But she also acknowledges the financial benefits of the scheme to the county council.

"The average cost of an independent residential home is £7,300 a week – so more than £300,000 a year," she said.

"Paying £80k could still be a cost reduction to the council of over £220k a year, as opposed to a place in residential care.

"We know that institutions cost a lot to run. And, unfortunately, because there's limited provision, it's very high cost."

The allowances for the new NEST foster carers are significantly more than the £500 a week paid to the bulk of the county's 'mainstream' foster carers.

But officials say the higher salaries reflect the "massive commitment" and are needed to attract those who will be expected to give up any existing employment.

However, they also stress that the ability to make relationships and to be accepting of different behaviours is more important than any prior professional experience.

"This role could be so rewarding," said Ms Knowles. "But we also know the realities of people having mortgages and rent payments – and having a lifestyle that they want to keep. And that's important too.

"If we are saying 'you can't work', we have got to make it financially worth someone's while.

"For this project, we wanted to do something a bit different by saying, 'you can afford to leave full-time employment'.

The NEST scheme – initially referred to as 'intensive fostering' – was launched back in September 2024.

It was developed with the deliberate aim of providing "safe and nurturing foster homes" for a small number of children who would otherwise be cared for in residential care homes.

This, according to officials, would provide an opportunity for children to grow up in a family environment in their own community, "enhancing their outcomes".

The initial target was to support six children to move from residential care to fostering by January 2026.

Foster carers within the scheme are offered therapeutic parenting training. And carers and children receive ongoing support from professionals.

And one of the council's NEST foster carers, who cannot be named, says the focus of the council has been on making sure that the needs of the child and the foster carer are met.

"We've found the whole process incredibly supportive to us, alongside being child-focused," they said.

"From the initial matching right through to the present day, the focus has been on making sure we are right for the children we are matched with and the support is tailored to ensure all needs are being met – both theirs and ours.

"We know we can reach out at any time, and we will get the support needed, be it a quick chat or something more robust.

"We would 100% recommend NEST fostering and believe all fostering should follow the same model as all children looked after by local authorities deserve to have the best."

Growing the NEST project is said to be one of the key priorities of the adoption service in Herts for 2025/26.

And commenting on the scheme, the council's executive member for children's social care, Cllr Anthony Rowlands, said: "We want every child to achieve their potential and grow up in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment.

"The NEST fostering scheme is one of the ways we are meeting the needs of children in our care who require stability, consistency and child-focussed support – which can be provided by NEST foster carers – to thrive and fulfil their potential."

• More information about NEST fostering in Hertfordshire can be found at www.herfordshire.gov.uk/nestfostering