A pioneering support scheme for foster carers in Oxfordshire was boosted by the visit of the Government’s children’s minister yesterday.

Tim Loughton used his trip to Oxford to announce a new £6m pot of cash spread across 37 authorities – including £140,000 for Oxfordshire.

It will go towards a support scheme for parents fostering the most challenging children, providing 24-hour support from professionals who know both the carers and the children.

The scheme has been piloted in Oxfordshire with a joint investment of £1m since 2008 from the Government and Oxfordshire County Council.

Mr Loughton said: “This scheme is producing better outcomes. The children are more settled, their behaviour is improving and that’s fantastic.”

So far, 30 children in the county aged between three and 11 have been through the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) process, which usually takes about nine to 12 months, and it is planned to open it up to youngsters aged 11 to 16.

The idea is to provide greater stability to children with behavioural problems by providing fosterers with training and clinical back-up so they can look after them for longer periods of time before they either go into a longer-term placement, are adopted, or return to their natural parents.

With the additional funding, up to eight younger children and seven older children can be cared for under the scheme at any one time.

Mr Loughton described the work in Oxfordshire as “pioneering” and called for more people to come forward.

He said: “We have got a lot of very enthusiastic parents on the scheme so we need to spread that news firstly to make sure they continue fostering, but also because we desperately need more foster parents to come forward.

“Put your hand up and we will bite it off.”

There are currently 435 looked after children in the county and 320 registered foster carers. The county council wants to recruit an extra 45 fosterers, including those on the MTFC scheme.

Rosalie and Rod James, 70 and 71 from Abingdon, have been fostering children for 34 years and have looked after more than 100 children – and adopted two of those to join their three biological children.

Mrs James said: “Although there were always social workers, they are stretched out over all sorts of things.

“With this you have got someone you can call on all the time who knows the child’s case.”

She urged more families to join the ranks of foster carers.

She said: “It’s been really good for me, helped with my confidence and with my own children. You have to have a really good sense of humour and you definitely have to be patient and willing to learn from others.”

Alison Wharmby, who runs the programme, said: “It’s very intensive and not needed by every child, but where it is needed, it is a fantastic way to support foster carers with very challenging young children.”

To find out more about fostering, call 0800 7835724.