Private Fostering Awareness Week

Private Fostering Awareness Week ran from 21 to 27 March. This year named "Somebody Else's Child', the campaign aimed to raise awareness of the issues around private fostering and change people's response.

Private fostering is when a young person under the age of 16, or under 18 if disabled, lives with somebody who is not their immediate family for a period of longer than 28 days.

Examples of private fostering arrangements might include an older teenager who is living with their friend's parents due to a family breakdown or a child living with a family friend whilst a parent is recovering from an operation. Other examples could be a young teenager attending school in this country and living with a family cousin whilst their family live abroad or a child staying with a host family previously not known to them whilst they complete their education.

Sometimes parents will arrange for their children to live elsewhere and sometimes teenagers decide themselves to live with a friend or friend's parents. The Fostering Service needs to be made aware and has a responsibility to offer advice and support to all parties involved in these kind of arrangements.

There are an estimated 10,000 children living in private fostering arrangements in England and Wales, yet last year only around 1,500 notifications of these arrangements were made to local authorities. While most of these children will be safe, others may be at risk of abuse and neglect at the hands of their private foster carers. Without children's services intervention, this could go on for years.

Although the legal responsibility lies with the parent and the carer, the campaign is also urging anyone who works with children - teachers, childcare and health care professionals - to play their part. Those who come into regular contact with children can help identify these potentially vulnerable children and help by either speaking to the child's carer, if appropriate, or informing children's services. Help us keep children safe and support families.

It is a legal duty for parents or the private foster carer to notify Central Bedfordshire's Fostering Service if a child is staying with somebody who is not an immediate family member for more than 28 days. An immediate family member is defined as a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt, or step-parent.

If you are part of, or aware of, any Private Fostering arrangements please contact the Private Fostering Coordinator on 0300 300 8090 for more information and advice.

The Bedfordshire Adoption Service is a shared service that covers both Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council areas. We strive to find families for children who cannot live with their birth families and who have a plan for adoption.