Northumberland County Council is asking for anyone who
is involved in or aware of a privately arranged care situation for
any child living in Northumberland, to encourage the carer and / or
parent to come forward and contact their local district
office.
This plea comes with the ongoing national
campaign Somebody Else’s Child,
which is run by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering
(BAAF).
The campaign aims to raise awareness of
private fostering, in particular the charity BAAF is targeting
professionals working with children, particularly teachers.
There are many situations where people, for a
whole range of reasons and with the best of intentions, are doing
someone else a favour and having their child live with
them. What they often do not realise is that, where the child is
staying for 28 days of more, as part of protecting our children in
the community, they have a legal responsibility to inform the local
council.
What is Private Foster Care?
If another person's child lives with
you, then you could be a private foster carer. The Children
Act 1989 requires you to inform your local council.
If you think that you are already a private
foster carer you must get in touch with your local Children's
Services district office straight away. (See contact details at the
base of this page).
If you are:
- A parent asking for someone else to look
after your child full time for more than 28 days
- Thinking of looking after someone else's
child full time, or are presently doing so, for more than 28 days
and you are not closely related to the child?
Then you are making a Private Foster
Care Arrangement.
IF YOU ARE A PARENT of children under 16 yrs old (18 yrs old if
disabled)
YOU MUST TELL US IF:
- They are going to stay with the carer for
more than 28 days and
- The carer is not a close relative
- And/or does not have parental responsibility
from the Court
You need not tell us if:
- Your child will be away from you for less
than 28 days
- They are in a residential home, boarding
school or hospital
- The Local Authority has placed them with
approved foster carers or adopters
When do you need to tell the
council?
Not less than 6 weeks and not more than 13
weeks before the child goes to live with the new carers, except in
an emergency, when you should tell us within 48 hours or
If the child is already with a private foster
carer, and the council does not know of this arrangement, then you
should notify the council straight away.
IF YOU ARE THE CARER of someone else's children under 16 yrs
old (18yrs old if disabled) or are planning to do so YOU MUST TELL
US IF:
- You are not a close relative (grandparent,
aunt, uncle, sibling) or you do not have parental responsibility
and
- The child has been/will be with you for more
than 28 days
- But NOT if the child is placed with you by a
local authority
IF YOU A CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON under 16 yrs old
(18yrs old if disabled):
Sometimes your mum or dad (or other very close
relative) asks someone to look after you for a while. If you stay
in this person’s home for more than 28 days (roughly one month)
then this is known as private fostering. Perhaps one of your
friends are living with someone else.
If you think you are in a private fostering situation, then have
a chat with your parent and carer, and let them know that you
should get in touch with the council.
Click on the image below to find out:
- if you are being privately fostered
- what you can do if you think your friend is being privately
fostered
- other facts about private fostering
Why is it necessary to inform the local council?
Privately fostered children need to be
protected from possible harm and to be looked after to a high
standard. The local authority has a duty to check that
private foster carers are suitable people to do the job. This
means that we must:
- Carry out checks (with the carers'
permission) with other professionals, referees who know the carers
well and with the Criminal Records Bureau. This is to make
sure that children are protected from carers who may pose a risk of
harm to the child.
- Check that accommodation is safe and
suitable
- Where appropriate provide the parent and
carer with necessary help and support
Are there any people who are disqualified from becoming Private
Foster Parents?
Generally, there are a number of circumstances
where people are not allowed to look after other people's
children. Examples of the main reasons for being disqualified
are:
- A child of the individual has been the
subject of a care order or there has been an order removing a child
or preventing the individual looking after a child
- The person has been convicted of certain
offences
- The person has been concerned with a
voluntary or registered home, which has been removed from the
register
- The person has been refused registration as a
childminder
What will happen after you have notified the District
Office?
A social worker will contact you to arrange to
visit you at your home normally within 7 working days of your
notification being received. They will try to ensure that the
visit takes place at a time when all members of the family are
present. If this is not possible, they may visit again if
they do not see all family members during the initial visit.
During the visit, the social worker will
complete a form based on the information you provide to check that
all aspects of the child's welfare and well-being are being
addressed. They will also arrange for you to provide written
consent to a variety of checks to be made with other agencies. You
will also need to provide the names and addresses of two referees
who can comment on your suitability to act as carers.
Following the Social Worker's visit, you will
receive a letter from the Children's Services Directorate advising
you of whether or not the placement has been approved. If
approval is refused, the letter will include details of the right
to appeal to the Courts against the decision.
Children's Services can also impose
requirements on private fostering arrangements such as the number,
sex and age of children; standards of equipment or accommodation;
and any arrangement for the care of a child. Children's
Services can prohibit someone from privately fostering children
where they are of the opinion that the person, premises or both are
unsuitable.
If the placement is approved, the social
worker will arrange for the child's parents to give you
authorisation to seek general medical treatment for the
child. They will also ensure that the child is registered
with a doctor and a dentist. The social worker will also
ensure that you are given a copy of a form detailing the child's
medical history.
The social worker will visit you and the child
on a regular basis to check the arrangements. Visits will
take place within the first few weeks of the placement and then
every 6 weeks in the first year and then every 3 months
thereafter. The social worker will also visit at other times
if you ask them to. The social worker will if possible also
visit the child and their parents to obtain their views about the
placement.
You will be expected to tell the Social Worker
if there are any changes in the fostering arrangements, including
the ending of the placement.
CONTACT CLIENT RELATIONS:
01670 623 978
Alternatively, you can email us at client.relations@northumberland.gov.uk
NORTHUMBERLAND INFORMATION ON PRIVATE FOSTERING:
For
Children and Young People
For
Parents and Carers
For
Professionals
Northumberland Private Fostering Statement of Purpose
(Pending)
Poster /
Flyer download
Useful External Links
British Association of
Adoption and Fostering Private Foster Care
Research into Private Fostering (Links to the Department for
Education website)
No Simple Answers report (Links to the Department for
Education website)
