Private Fostering - Are you looking after somebody else’s child?
Warwickshire Children’s Services is calling for anyone who looks after somebody else’s child and is not a direct relative to get in touch.
To help ensure the well-being of children who are being cared for on a full time basis in this way, it is important that the local authority knows about the situation so they can offer support if it is needed.
Private fostering is the term used to describe when someone, who is not a close relative, has the intention or cares for another person’s child (under 16 or 18 if registered disabled) for 28 days or more. Whilst this is a private arrangement legally the parent and the carer must notify the local authority who have a statutory responsibility to ensure that the child is being properly looked after.
The lack of awareness in the general population about the legal requirement to inform the local authority of Private Fostering situations, as well as people feeling anxious about Children’s Services becoming involved, means that Private Fostering continues to be under reported. Consequently it is important that people:
· are reassured that they will not get into trouble for notifying late if they were genuinely unaware of the requirement to inform.
· should know that in a piece of research commissioned by Ofsted whilst most of the young people interviewed were happy with their private foster carers they all felt that it was important that there was someone to check they were OK and cared for properly.
· Warwickshire Children’s Services recognises the right to privacy of family life and will not intrude more than is necessary.
Warwickshire Children’s Services wants to hear from individuals providing this type of care, anyone who believes they may know of a situation where a child is being privately fostered, and from anyone who works with children who they believe may be privately fostered.
Cabinet member Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families said: “Warwickshire’s tradition of fostering has been well recognised by inspections and awards and we are rightly proud of that. We are working hard to maintain those very high standards and to do so, we have to know about all children being privately fostered so that we can ensure their safety.
”If you are aware of a child being privately fostered please let us know so that we can make the necessary checks and, of course, to ensure that the fostering family is getting all the support available to them. People have a reluctance to report other people, which we understand, but this is the welfare of children that is at stake. Whilst in most, if not all, cases, everything is fine, it is better to be safe than sorry. I urge anyone unsure of a potential fostering arrangement to contact the county council and just double check that we are aware of it.”
To report a private fostering arrangement, to discuss your situation, or to find out more, contact your local Childrens Services Team.
For more details about private fostering visit the Warwickshire County Council website at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk or go to the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) website at http://www.somebodyelseschild.org.uk.