Staff briefing Private Fostering

To highlight Coventry's process’ and procedures

raise staff awareness of the potential safeguarding issues

Somebody else’s child is your responsibility.

Introductions• Iqbal Ghag – Service Manager Referral and

Assessment Service • Sue Whitmore – Service Manager Looked After

and Disabled Childrens Services• Julie Newman - Legal • David Wilson -Principal Analyst

Social Care Information Management Team• Pauline Parker - Support Team Manager FPS

- Family Placement Service

Aim of session

To develop awareness of, and the ability to act on or ensure the safety and welfare of children and young people who may be privately fostered

By the end of the training participants should:

• Know what Private Fostering is• Be able to differentiate between family

carers and private carers• Understand the Private Fostering Procedure

How many children are privately fostered nationally ?

Private Fostering – BAAF statistics

• 1,500 children were reported to local authorities as being cared for and accommodated in private fostering arrangements at 31st March 2013 (compared to 1,560 in 2012).

• 2,500 new private fostering arrangements began during the year ending 31st March 2013 (compared to 2,420 in 2012).

• 2,590 private fostering arrangements were reported to have ended during the year ending 31st March 2013 (compared with 2,520 in 2012).

Local Picture

• In Coventry issues highlighted during a recent data analysis of private fostering were :-

• Low numbers of private fostering notifications 6 this year and 10 last year

• Local Authority believes that there are many more Privately fostered children in Coventry

• Two thirds of privately fostered children are visited within seven working days of notification

• Children are generally visited regularly but only one child had every visit within statutory intervals

What do Ofsted say ?

In January 2014 Ofsted called on local authorities, local safeguarding children boards and the Department for Education to work together to build a better understanding of the extent of private fostering arrangements across the country.

In May 2014 Ofsted reported that they had conducted some further inspections of local authority private fostering arrangements.

Analysis of these has identified several ways in which arrangements for collecting and managing information about private fostering could be improved so that, nationally, we would have a better understanding of this area.

Current requirements for authorities to make an annual review of their arrangements could also, with some adjustments, be more effective in improving quality.

Privately fostering Quiz

• Is he or isn't he

• a mother is seriously unwell following the birth of her baby and asks a close friend to look after the baby for a while. The arrangement stretches into several months

• a teenager is having difficulties coping with her new step-brothers and sisters and does not want to go on an extended family holiday to New Zealand and so her father arranges for her to live with her best friend's family over the summer holidays

• a family from Ghana has moved to the UK and while the parents travel around to find work, their children stay with a great aunt

• teenager moves in with a friend’s family because of a breakdown in relationships at home, or parents move out of the area.

• A child is left with the unmarried partner of his/her parent because of the imprisonment of the parent.

• Host families looking after children at language schools or boarding schools during the summer holidays, where this is longer than 28 days

“I have suffered too much grief in setting downthese heartrending memories. If I try to describe him,it is to make sure that I shall not forget him.”

Jiro Hirabayashi from Yasunori Kawahara’stranslation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

This sentiment applies also to Victoria Climbié

Legal Framework

• Children Act 1989 and 2004• Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering Regulations

2005• Private arrangement to care for a child under 16 (or 18 if

disabled) - not a placement made by the LA (which would be S20, LAC and foster care).

• PR is retained by parents –can delegate but should remain involved

Legal Framework

• If child lives with a relative as defined in Children Act 1989 it is not Private Fostering.

• Relative – Grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, Uncle and step parent.

• Intention last for 28 days or more – and continuous• Failure by a Private Foster Carer or parent to notify the LA is a

criminal offence ( asap – or by carer in 6 weeks).

Legal Framework• If child lives with a relative as defined in LA has to satisfy

themselves welfare of child is safeguarded – within 7 days of notification (Sch 2/3)

• Prepare written report• 6 weekly visits for 1st Year then 12 weekly in subsequent

years (offence not to allow visit).• Must see the child alone and prepare report.• Are they also Child in Need?• Limit on number of children

Legal Framework

Powers of LA

• Impose requirements• Prohibition• Disqualification.

Why do children become privately fostered

• Parent has a long term illness or mental health problem• Parent is in prison• Row with mum or dad and are staying with friends• Staying with friends or extended family to complete

education• Staying with friends or extended family due to a family crisis • Living with parent’s ex partner where not married or in civil

partnership • Parents have gone overseas or to another part of the

country to work or visit extended family

Why do children become privately fostered

• Sent to UK from overseas for better life chances e.g. education or safety • Parent from overseas who is studying or working

in the UK • Staying with a family while attending a language

school or during boarding school holidays • Brought from overseas with a view to adoption

A child is NOT Privately Fostered when

• They are being cared for by a grandparent, brother, sister, aunt or uncle and step parent (whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or by civil partnership) who under the Children Act 1989, is defined as a close relative.

• The person caring for him has done so for fewer than 28 days and does not intend to do so for longer than that.

• They are Looked After Children in terms of section 22 of the Act, and local authorities are not involved in the making of such arrangements

Coventry ProcessSocial workers undertaking children and families assessment MUST establish whether the care arrangement potentially falls under the private fostering regulations. As indicated earlier in this briefing a placement with relatives does not constitute a private fostering arrangement, but we need to be satisfied that carers are relatives and if they are from the extended family such as a cousin or great aunt this would constitute a private fostering arrangement. However, a person who is a relative under the Children Act 1989 i.e. a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether of full blood or half blood or by marriage) or step-parent will not be a private foster carer At the point a referral is received on a new or existing open case which appears to fall under the remit of the Private Fostering Regulations a C&F assessment will be commenced and the child/young person will need to be seen within 7 working days from the point of the initial notification. .

Coventry ProcessAt this point the “Private Fostering Agreement” option is ticked at the point of referral for a new case. In relation to an existing open case a new Contact needs to be created which allows the same option to be ticked and this is linked to the existing referral that triggered the most recent episode of intervention.

Private Fostering Regulations are only applicable in respect of children & young people aged below 16 years (unless they have a disability when the timescale is below 18 years) and whose parent/s are fully consenting to the care arrangement and continue to play an active role in their children’s lives.

The LA should NOT be Providing financial assistance to support such care arrangements

Coventry Process

• The C&F assessment needs to establish and understand how the current care arrangement came about, the identity of all adults including parents & carers, details of siblings. In the case of child/young person from abroad we need to understand the immigration status of the child. The assessment needs to be forensic in terms of its exploration of the presenting issues and a child/young person MUST be spoken to alone if their age and understanding allows this. Interpreters MUST be used if English is not the child or families first language. PNC checks on carers and all household members over the age of 18 years need to be requested and we should undertake checks of all relevant electronic records.

• An e-mail needs to be sent to the following e-mail address: FamilyPlacementService@coventry.gov.uk for purposes of notification of the need to commence a formal assessment of the private fostering arrangement.

Coventry Process

• Case responsibility: in relation to a new referral, at the point the C&F assessment has determined the care arrangement potentially falls under the private fostering regulations a notification is sent to FPS as outlined above and the case is transferred to the LAC Service. In respect of existing open cases the case responsibility will remain with the current allocating team until such time the sole reason for the case remaining open is due to the Private Fostering arrangement.

• Frequency of visits: 4 weekly for the first year

Family Placement Service (FPS) Responsibilities

• Following notification the assessment of the Private Fostering will be allocated to a member of the FPS Support Team within 7 days .

• The FPS SW will immediately initiate checks and references. These include; D.B.S and health checks; 3 personal references (1 should be a family member), employment and school references if applicable.

• The assessment should be completed within 6 weeks of allocation (subject to return of checks).

• Any issues identified by RAS in their C&F Assessment will be further explored and any concerns identified during the assessment will be immediately shared with the allocated worker for the child.

• The completed assessment will be given to the Service Manager F.P.S. to consider approval/sign off before uploading onto protocol.

Private Fostering and After Care • If privately fostered you become a qualifier regards leaving care support

entitlements up to the age of 21.• That is to say you are entitled to an assessment of support needs.• If staying with the people that you were privately fostered by you could get

support from sec 17 as well as advice from R21.• If moving on from there you could be assessed as needing support at a higher

level including some financial support.• If you are in education and require support the assessment would highlight

support required which leaving care services have some duties to support around.• • Prospective and current private foster carers and young people in these

arrangements need to know this.• R21 will be contacting privately fostered young people at 15 and a half to make

them aware of the above but SW’s discussing these arrangements should do so also.

Recording of Private Fostering on Protocol

Any Questions