Transcript Document

Private Fostering
An introduction for all staff
working in Children’s Services
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Awareness of Private Fostering
Introduction
The statistics
Why is it so important?
Who’s responsibility is it?
What is in place to safeguard these children?
Procedures
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowledge Check
END
Introduction
• Many children who are privately fostered are not known
to the services, institutions or people working with them.
• Privately fostered children are much more vulnerable
because of their ‘invisibility’, and because services do not
always record and report information about them.
• Under new regulations, identifying, recording and
reporting children who may be privately fostered is
everyone’s responsibility - the responsibility falls on all
those people or agencies who come into contact with
children and young people in their work.
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Private Fostering – A Definition
“A private fostering arrangement is essentially one that is
made privately (that is to say without the involvement of a
local authority) for the care of a child under the age of 16
(under 18, if disabled) by someone other than a parent or close
relative with the intention that it should last for 28 days or
more... The period for which the child is cared for and
accommodated by the private foster carer should be
continuous, but that continuity is not broken by the occasional
short break.”
(National Minimum Standards for Private Fostering DFES 2005)
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What does that mean?
A privately fostered child is:
• a child or young person
• looked after by someone other than a
parent, step-parent, sibling, aunt, uncle or
grand parent
• who has no parental responsibility
• for a period of more than 28 days.
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A private fostering arrangement
is only legitimate if:
•The parent gives informed
consent
NB. For some older
children, especially
teenagers approaching 16,
parents know of their
whereabouts but whilst not
‘consenting’, choose not to
intervene. Effectively, this
may be classed as Private
Fostering
•The local authority knows
about and agrees with the
arrangement
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What it isn’t…
Children can live with and be cared for
by their aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters or
grandparents without outside
involvement. This is not classed as
Private Fostering.
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Examples of Private Fostering
Arrangements
• Children sent to this country, for education or
health care, by parents who live overseas.
• A teenager living with a friend's family because
they don't get on with their own family.
• Children living with a friend's family because
their parents' study or work involves
unsociable hours, which make it difficult to use
ordinary day care or after-school care.
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Examples of Private Fostering
Arrangements
• Children staying with another family
because their parents have separated or
divorced.
• A child from overseas staying with a host
family while attending a language school
• Students at boarding school who stay with
a host family during the holidays.
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The Statistics – Key facts
(based on year ending March 2008)
1330 children were reported as being cared for
and accommodated in private fostering
arrangements in England (this is an increase on
previous years)
70% of privately fostered children were born in the
United Kingdom (an increase of 2% on 2007)
The number of privately fostered children born in
Africa dropped from 10% in 2007 to 6% in 2008
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Source: www.dcsf.gov.uk
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The Statistics
New Private Fostering Arrangements by Place of Birth
5%
13%
5%
13%
UK
6%
UK
Europe (other)
Europe (other)
Africa
Africa
Asia
Asia
6%
6%
6%
Other
Other
70%
70%
NB: Other includes Middle East,
Oceania, Canada & USA, Central &
South America
Source: www.dcsf.gov.uk
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The Statistics
New private fostering Arrangements by age
1%
8%
(year ending March 2008)
16%
1%
16%
8%
10%
10%
Under 1
1 - 4 years
5 - 9 years
Under
10 - 151 years
116
- 4years
years& over
5 - 9 years
10 - 15 years
16 years & over
65%
65%
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Source: www.dcsf.gov.uk
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Why is it so important?
Privately fostered children are often
made more vulnerable by their living
circumstances, and by their status not
being identified and reported to the
local authority.
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Victoria Climbie
• Victoria was brought to the UK in
April 1999 from the Ivory Coast, via
France, by Therese-Marie Kouao,
her great-aunt.
• Therese-Marie Kouao offered
Victoria's parents the chance of a
good education for their daughter.
• She had been brought into the UK
in a private foster agreement.
• On 25 February 2000 Victoria died.
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Victoria Climbie
• The Home Office Pathologist found 128
separate injuries on her body and stated
that it was “the worst case of child
abuse I've encountered”
• In his inquiry into her death, Lord
Laming highlighted concerns about
arrangements for children who are in
private foster care.
• Subsequent guidance has emphasized
the duty of local authorities to safeguard
privately fostered children.
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Whose responsibility is it to
report private fostering
arrangements?
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It’s the responsibility of
everybody who comes
into contact with children
through their work to
report instances of
Private Fostering.
That includes you!!
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What safeguards are in
place to protect privately
fostered children?
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National Minimum Standards for
Private Fostering
 All local authorities (meaning schools, social
care, other services for children and their
families) have a duty to assess the suitability of a
private fostering arrangement
 All privately fostered children will have a named
social worker and will be visited regularly by their
named social worker
 The parent of the privately fostered child retains
parental responsibility during a private fostering
arrangement
 All services have a duty to :
• promote awareness of private fostering
• actively identify and report privately fostered
children and arrangements
• act to safeguard and support privately fostered
children and arrangements
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Procedural Guidance
Private FosteringProcedural Flowcharts
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If the Child moves in after the
date of the notification and the
completion of the
Arrangements Assessment a
visit to the child must take
place within 7 calendar days
of the date the child moved in.
At the end of the
Assessment of
Arrangements the
fostering service starts the
Assessment of Private
Foster Carer(s).
To be completed within
35 days of the end date
of the Assessment of
Arrangements.
The Fostering Service will
ensure that the statutory
checks are processed and
returned.
Receive notification
Receive information of
Arrangement.
“Going to look after a
child/place child with private
foster carers.”
“We are looking after the
child/my child is already with
private foster carers.”
Private Fostering Assessment of Arrangements
completed within 7 days of date of
Notification/Arrangement. The child must be seen and
spoken to as part of the Assessment. The social worker
will notify the fostering service before the end of the
Assessment.
Does the Local Authority need to exercise other duties
under the Children Act to determine if the child is in need?
Letters must be sent
out to professionals,
other agencies,
parents and carers
confirming the
outcome of the Private
Fostering assessment
of Arrangement.
The Fostering Service will
gather the information for
the statutory checks and
references and commence
processing. All adult
household members will
have CRB checks.
NO
YES
Initial Assessment.
Regulation 8 Assessment Visits to the placement and see and speak
with the child within every 6 weeks. If the child moves in following the
Assessment a visit must take place within 7 days of the date when the
child moved in.
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REMEMBER:
Visit within
every 42
calendar days
for the first
year, then 84
calendar days
for subsequent
years.
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Continued
Wherever a child is living with
Private Foster Carers the
Statutory visits under
Regulation 8 must continue
within timescales in all
circumstances - even if the
child is subject to
assessment as a child in need
or has a Child Protection or
Child in Need Plan
Concerns eg relating to the
statutory checks, references
or placement.
Does the Local Authority need
to exercise other duties under
the Children Act to determine
if the child is in need?
YES
Inform the Monitoring
Manager for Private Fostering
NO
If the child moves
out of Lincolnshire
either with the
private foster carers,
or back to parents,
or to another
address, notify the
other local authority
by letter within two
working days of the
child moving.
Regulation 8 Assessment
Visits
Initial Assessment
Commence Core Assessment and
continue the Regulation 8 Assessment
Visits
Strategy Discussion to include decision
of whether the Prohibition procedure
should commence. Start the Core
Assessment
continue the Regulation
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8 Assessment Visits.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it my role to enquire about the status of a child?
But my organisation doesn’t gather information about a child or young
person’s living circumstances, isn’t that Children’s Services’
responsibility?
I know of a child in this situation but everything seems fine, do I still have
to report this to the Local Authority?
What if the Local Authority knows about the arrangement but the living
situation changes?
I know of a Young person who is living in a Private Fostering arrangement
but if I inform the Local Authority I will be breaching the confidentiality.
What do I do?
Where do I go for more information and support?
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Is it my role to enquire about
the status of a child?
Yes, absolutely!
You should check that the parent of
any child that you come into
contact with consents to their living
arrangements.
Report private fostering
arrangements to the local authority.
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to FAQ
But my organisation doesn’t gather information
about a child or young person’s living
circumstances, isn’t that Children’s Services’
responsibility?
It is everyone’s duty to identify, verify, record and report any
circumstances which may be private fostering, and to
promote this with the children and families concerned.
Victoria Climbié died because individuals, teams, agencies
and systems failed to gather and share information.
Children’s Services are responsible for assessing the
suitability of the arrangement and visiting the child regularly.
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to FAQ
I know of a child in this situation but
everything seems fine, do I still have to
report this to the Local Authority?
Yes, you do need to report this.
No one can assume that everything is fine without
checking.
The local authority has a duty to assess the suitability of
the arrangement and ascertain if the parent has actually
given permission for the living arrangement, before anyone
can accept that the child has been safeguarded.
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to FAQ
What if the Local Authority knows about the
arrangement but the living situation changes.
Do I need to tell the authority?
Private foster carers should tell the local authority about
significant changes during the private fostering
arrangements within 48 hours.
Significant changes include:
• A change of address;
• Someone joining or leaving the household;
• If any member of the household has court convictions,
disqualifications from fostering or limits on how many
they can foster;
• The child leaves the private foster carer’s address;
• If the privately fostered child dies.
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to FAQ
I know of a young person who is living in a
Private Fostering arrangement but if I inform
the Local Authority I will be breaching the
confidentiality. What do I do?
You must tell the Local Authority. You will not be
breaching confidentiality by notifying Children's
Services- you will be ensuring that the
child/young person is safeguarded.
You should also tell the child/young person that
you intend to inform the Local Authority.
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to FAQ
Where do I go for more
information and support?
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/privatefostering
or
to notify Local Authority of a Private Fostering
arrangement, or possible arrangement
Customer Service Centre on
01522 782111
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to FAQ
Awareness of Private Fostering
Introduction
The statistics
Why is it so important?
Who’s responsibility is it?
What is in place to safeguard these children?
Procedures
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowledge Check
END
Knowledge Check
Shaira is 12. She has been spending a lot of time
with her friend Kelly’s family because her mum and
dad are going through an unpleasant divorce and she
finds the arguments upsetting.
Shaira has asked that she live permanently with Kelly
and her family. Shaira’s mum and dad think that this
is a good idea as the disruption is starting to affect her
school work.
Will this be a Private Foster arrangement?
Yes
No
Knowledge Check
Stephen is 5. His mum went into hospital to have a
major operation. The doctors have advised her that
she would not be able to look after Stephen while she
was recovering and that it could take up to 2 months
for her to fully recover. Stephen is staying with his
grandmother until his mum is well enough to look after
him again.
Is this a Private Foster arrangement?
Yes
No
Knowledge Check
Baako is 15 and has come to the UK to help
him learn English. His parents have arranged
that he will be studying at school and living
with an English host family for the duration of
his schooling. He plans to visit his family
every 3 weeks.
Is this a Private Foster arrangement?
Yes
No
Knowledge Check
Carrie is 17 and has a mild learning disability. She
has decided that she wants to spend more time with
her boyfriend. She tells her parents that she is
going to move in with him and his family. They
agree that it is fine for her to do so.
Is this a Private Foster arrangement?
Yes
No
Correct!
Because Shaira will be staying with
someone who is not a close relative and
the arrangement is likely to last for more
than 28 days, this would be a Private
Foster arrangement.
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Qu
Correct!
Because Stephen will be staying with a
grand parent this arrangement would not
be a Private Fostering arrangement it
would be Kinship Fostering.
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Correct!
Even though Baako will still be seeing his
parents at intervals of less than 28 days,
this is still a Private Fostering
arrangement because “continuity is not
broken by the occasional short break”
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Qu
Correct!
Even though Carrie is 17 this would still
be a private fostering arrangement
because she has a disability.
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Awareness of Private Fostering
Introduction
The statistics
Why is it so important?
Who’s responsibility is it?
What is in place to safeguard these children?
Procedures
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowledge Check
END