Understanding Private Fostering: A Guide for Child Protection
Private fostering involves children cared for by individuals without parental responsibility, such as friends or host families. It is crucial for local authorities to be aware of these arrangements to ensure child welfare and compliance with regulations. The hidden children in private fostering, including those trafficked or subject to illegal adoptions, require special attention. This briefing sheds light on the often forgotten and overlooked children in private fostering situations.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Somebody Elses Child Briefing Remembering the Forgotten and Hidden Children in Private Fostering Arrangements
What is Private Fostering? Privately Fostered children and young people are those up to the age of 16 (disabled children up to 18) who are not looked after by a parent or a close relative. The intention is that the arrangement will last for more than 28 days. Privately fostered children are cared for by people who do not hold Parental Responsibility.
Close relative? Not a close relative. IS Private Fostering: A divorced Step-parent Great-aunt Great-uncle Cousin Friends Neighbour Step sibling Close relative. Is NOT Private Fostering: Parents Step-parents* Brothers Sisters Aunts Uncles Grandparents
Other Private Foster Carers might be: Family friend Host family for educational exchange An extended family member offering a home to a child from overseas A carer for children from overseas attending a private school A parent of the child's friend with a vacant sofa Please be aware of the Hidden People ! It is extremely important to work with both partners/ everybody in the family.
Other Privately Fostered children might include: Children subject to illegal adoptions Immigration then abandonment by parents Trafficked into the UK for exploitation purposes.
How does PF fit into the Child Protection Process? If a child is accommodated (or looked after) by the Local Authority then this child is NOT privately fostered. Children who are accommodated may be cared for by Mainstream Foster Carers or by their own family members, such as grandparents or an aunt or uncle. These are called Connected Persons Foster Carers. Children in Need (S.17) may be involved in a TAC/CAF process. They may be living in private fostering arrangements. All arrangements may apply for a Child Arrangements Order (CAO) or Special Guardianship Order (SGO).
Why does the Local Authority need to know about Privately Fostered children? To enforce the Children Act 2004 and The Children (Private Fostering) Regulations 2005. Private Fostering National Minimum Standards are issued under S.7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act. Private foster carers do not hold parental responsibility, which affects the range of decisions they can make for the child. The Local Authority has a duty to secure the welfare of every Privately Fostered child. May bring families back together!
DVD DVD running time is 9 minutes. CoramBAAF (formerly BAAF) is the UK's leading membership organisation for agencies and individuals that have an interest in adoption, fostering and the well-being of children.
Case Studies L has a hearing impairment. Ms S explained that L s mother is a friend of hers and has gone abroad for work. Ms S says she agreed to care for L until her mother is able to return to the UK. There has been no contact with L s mother for the past 4 years. A couple returned from Bulgaria with an 8 year old child who they said they had adopted in Bulgaria through a church agency to which they had paid a sum of money. A young person aged 13 years came to the UK on a student exchange programme to study at an International Comprehensive School and stayed with a host family after the scheme had ended and continued to attend school until the age of 16. K s mother died in a house fire and K was left in the care of her step-father Mr S, who had never been married to her mother. K s biological father did not have parental responsibility for her.
Responsibility of the Local Authority The LA has continuing duties of visiting the child every 6 weeks and must carry out checks on the PF carer and their household. Visits to the child s parents/ guardians. Ascertain child s wishes and feelings. The Local Authority does not fund any Private Fostering arrangements. Advice on how to access child related benefits can be given to the PF carer.
Local context In 2013/14 there were 21 new notifications of Private Fostering Arrangements in Telford & Wrekin. This represented a decrease in the number of notifications in T&W compared to 2011/12 when we received 34 notifications. 2014/15 2013/14 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 21 13 13 19 2
Privately Fostered children and young people The majority of the Telford children remain being white British, 10-15 years old and female. National figures show half of all privately fostered children are of non UK origin, 10-15 years old, gender not recorded.
What can you do next? Make colleagues aware of their duty to notify Private Fostering arrangements. If you identify or think a child is in a Private Fostering arrangement contact: Family Connect, Darby House, 5th Floor, Lawn Central, Telford, TF3 4JA Tel: 01952 385385. For areas outside of Telford and Wrekin please contact the Local Authority s Children's Safeguarding Department.
Private Fostering Week 8th 12th July 2019 Private Fostering Week offers local councils an opportunity to highlight the vulnerability of children in private fostering arrangements who remain unknown to the local authorities. In keeping with the Government s focus on safeguarding children at risk, the key objective of the awareness raising initiatives is to increase the number of notifications by encouraging professionals to contact the local authority, especially if they suspect a child is being trafficked, has experienced FGM and sexual exploitation. CoramBAAF has been advocating on behalf of local authorities to give children in private fostering arrangements the recognition they justly deserve.
Contacts Family Connect 01952 385385 Fostering Team, 2A Darby House, Lawn Central, Telford, TF3 4JA. Telephone: 01952 385 883 E-mail: Jan.bright@telford.gov.uk
