Private Fostering Arrangements
Case reference FOI2024/00869
Received 14 May 2024
Published 7 June 2024
Request
How many children are currently being privately fostered: an arrangement in which a child lives in the care of someone who is not the child’s parents, a person with parental responsibility for the child, or a relative of the child for a period of 28 days or more.
Of these, how many are with a private foster carer who did not notify the local authority before the arrangement began?
Please could you detail what checks the LA carries out on private foster carers?
Can you confirm a social worker always conducts a visit and check of the premises within seven days of being notified of an arrangement?
Response
How many children are currently being privately fostered: an arrangement in which a child lives in the care of someone who is not the child’s parents, a person with parental responsibility for the child, or a relative of the child for a period of 28 days or more.
Nil
Of these, how many are with a private foster carer who did not notify the local authority before the arrangement began?
Nil
Please could you detail what checks the LA carries out on private foster carers?
In line with The Minimum Standards for Private Fostering (2005) and in addition to this, the Local Authority will carry out the following checks on its Private Foster Carers:
-Intended duration of the PF arrangement
-DBS, to include all adult residents within the home – a risk assessment is completed whilst the DBS(s) is/are pending.
-Medical checks on the carers where this is deemed necessary/appropriate.
-Personal and employment references as appropriate.
-The capacity of the proposed/actual private foster carer to look after the child, and the suitability of members of their household and premises (including whether the private foster carer or anyone in the household is disqualified from privately fostering children);
-The LA will check that the financial arrangements for the care and maintenance of the child have been agreed between the parents and private foster carer (s) and that, once the private fostering arrangement has begun, these arrangements are working;
-The Local Authority will check the standard of care provided for each privately fostered child;
-Health and Safety Checklist (checking home conditions)
-Local Authority and Ofsted checks.
Can you confirm a social worker always conducts a visit and check of the premises within seven days of being notified of an arrangement?
Yes, this will happen where/when notified of an arrangement.
Documents
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