2.4 Private Fostering Statement of Purpose

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter should be read in conjunction with the Private Fostering Procedure.

OTHER RELEVANT GUIDANCE

Is Someone Else Looking After Your Child?

Are you Looking After Someone Else's Child?

Who is Looking After You?

Private Fostering Posters

This is a new chapter for November 2010.

Introduction
Mission Statement
Director of Children Social Care Statement
Regulation
Legal Definition of a Privately Fostered Child
The Local Authority's Duties under the Children Act 1989 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005
New duties under Children Act 2004 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005
Training for Relevant Staff
How Awareness of the Notification Requirements will be Promoted
Assessment of the Suitability of Private Foster Carers and their Household
Advice/Support and Information Available to Private Page 6 Foster Carers, Parents/those with Parental Responsibility and Privately Fostered Children
Ensuring the Welfare of Privately Fostered Children is Safeguarded and Promoted
The Role of other Agencies in Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Privately Fostered Children, Including Encouraging Notification
How Relevant Staff will have an Understanding of the Department's Duties and Functions in Relation to Private Fostering
How the Department will Ensure that its Duties and Functions Regarding Private Fostering are Included in an Induction and other Training Programmes and these are Reviewed and Evaluated Annually in line with Changes in Legislation and Guidance
Monitoring the Discharge of Functions and Compliance with Part 9 of the Children Act 1989
Advice on Private Fostering

1. Introduction

It is a requirement for all local authorities to publish a statement of purpose in relation to private fostering. This document is a description of private fostering arrangements within the London Borough of Lewisham and is separate from Fostering Services' Statement of Purpose 2008.

This Statement of Purpose is designed to meet the needs of the National Minimum Standards for Private Fostering, Standard 1, and to provide a clear guide of the service for professionals, the public, council members and external organisations.

This document will describe private fostering arrangements, the assessment processes and the support and advice offered to private foster carers, privately fostered children and their parents within the London Borough of Lewisham.

The service works to ensure that Equal Opportunities are integrated into all aspects of our service delivery and we ensure that all private foster carers are assessed and supported, taking into account the needs of the individual privately fostered child/young person and their race, religion, class, sexual orientation and disability.

2. Mission Statement

The London Borough of Lewisham's aim is to focus on securing positive outcomes for privately fostered children and young people, and reducing any risks to their welfare and safety. We will work with parents and private foster carers to ensure that they receive advice and support.

3. Director of Children Social Care Statement

I am pleased to introduce this Statement of Purpose in respect of Private Fostering. It is an important document which sets out the various roles and responsibilities of the Local Authority, partner agencies, and those members of the public who are involved in private fostering arrangements. We all have a responsibility, individually and collectively, to work together to ensure that children are kept safe from harm and abuse. Children living apart from their parents in private fostering arrangements are a particularly vulnerable group and it is vitally important that all agencies play their part in identifying and supporting privately fostered children.

Please take some time to look through it. By effective partnership working we aim to safeguard and support privately fostered children living in Lewisham.

Thank you for your support.
Ian Smith

4. Regulation

Lewisham private fostering service is regulated by Ofsted. Click here for OFSTED contact details.

Please click here for London Borough of Lewisham Private Fostering Service details.

Private fostering services are located within Children's Social Care, a division of Children's Services.

Lewisham Children's Social Care is committed to maintaining high standards in relation to private fostering service provision and to reviewing this on a continual basis.

London Borough of Lewisham holds statutory powers and responsibilities as a local authority in relation to private fostering arrangements.

The service works to ensure that equal opportunities are incorporated into all aspects of service delivery and all prospective private foster carers are assessed and supported on the basis of the needs of the individual privately fostered child/young person regardless of race, religion, class, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.

Private fostering notifications and assessments are undertaken by Private fostering Social Worker(s) in the Children's Social Care Office based at Laurence House.

Whilst Social Worker(s) will undertake assessments, following notification, assessments are recorded on Lewisham ICS system, signed off by the private fostering Team Manager and endorsed by the Service Manager. The Service Manager also takes responsibility to satisfy that the welfare of children or young people who are, or are to become, privately fostered will be, satisfactorily safeguarded and promoted.

The private fostering social worker(s) is managed by the Team manager for the private fostering team. In the absence of the Private Fostering Team Manager, day to day issues can be advised on by the Service Manager.

Overall management responsibility lies with the Director of Children's Services, Ian Smith.

5. Legal Definition of a Privately Fostered Child

A Private Fostering arrangement is essentially one that is made privately, usually by the child's parents (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) with the intention that it should last for 28 days or more.

Private Foster carers may be from the extended family such as a cousin or great aunt. 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 civil partnership) or step-parents will not be a Private Foster carer.

A Private Foster Carer may be a friend of the family, the parent of a friend of the child or someone previously unknown to the child's family who is willing to privately foster a child. 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. Exemptions to this definition are set out in Schedule 8 to the Children Act 1989. See Schedule 8 Privately Fostered Children.

The private foster carer becomes responsible for providing the day-to-day care of the child in a way which will promote and safeguard his welfare. Overriding responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the privately fostered child remains with the parent or other person with Parental Responsibility.

Some common examples of private fostering arrangements include:

Children/young people with families overseas; black and ethnic community
Children/young people with parents working or studying in the UK;
Trafficked children/young people and asylum seekers and refugees; children/young
People living with host families for a variety of reasons, i.e. attending language schools, undergoing medical treatment etc.

It is NOT Private Fostering when:

The person caring for the child is a close relative such as an Aunt, a Brother/ Sister or a Grandparent.
The private arrangement is not expected to last more than 28 days

Notifying the Local Authority

The law requires that both the parents and carer must notify the local authority about the proposed placement before it takes place; failure to give notification is an offence.

The Children Acts 1989 and 2004 place duties and responsibilities on local authorities for the supervision and welfare of children placed in private fostering in their area.

The local authority does not approve private Foster Carers as this is a private arrangement between the family and the foster carers. However, they are required to satisfy themselves that the private fostering arrangements are suitable for the child who is to be or is being fostered.

The authority may not prevent the placement but they may, in certain circumstances, impose specific requirements for the fostering. In the case of a prospective Foster Carer who is disqualified from fostering or the Foster Carer is unsuitable, the authority may impose a prohibition. Also see Section 8, Prohibition Process of Private Fostering Procedure.

The welfare of the child is the paramount consideration throughout the assessment, monitoring, support and review process.

The authority is also responsible for regular visiting of the foster placement and is required to make a written report of each visit. The parents are entitled to have a copy of this report on request.

Details of how to notify the Local authority of a private fostering arrangement can be found at the end of this document.

6. The Local Authority's Duties and Functions Under the Children Act 1989 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005

The law requires the Local Authority to:

Consider the child's interests first. Private fostering arrangements may be appropriate for short periods of time but the law says that local authorities must be told about all private fostering arrangements.
Raise and promote awareness of private fostering in their area.
Increase notification rates in their area.
Make regular visits to ensure that children are placed in a safe home environment and that they are well cared for.
Ensure that checks on the carer and the household are carried out and establish whether the arrangement is suitable.
Stop a private fostering arrangement if the carer is in unsuitable accommodation, or the carer is found to be unsuitable to look after children.
Consider, under a duty imposed by the Children Act 1989, whether a privately fostered child is a Child In Need, and to consider where support and services can be provided to increase the capacity of the private foster carer to meet the child's needs.

7. New Duties Under Children Act 2004 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005

The new measures in the Children Act 2004 and the Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 2005 are intended to strengthen and enhance the existing private fostering notification scheme. Local Authorities are required to raise public awareness in their area of the requirements regarding notification of private fostering arrangements.

Notifications must now be given to Local Authorities when a child/young person is proposed to be privately fostered as well as being privately fostered. This will enable local authorities to ensure that the welfare of privately fostered children/young people is being satisfactorily safeguarded and promoted by ongoing assessments and monitoring of arrangements within statutory timescales.

These new measures, along with the National Minimum Standards for Private Fostering, July 2005, focus all local authorities' attention on private fostering and require them to take a more proactive approach with partnership agencies and other professionals in identifying arrangements in their area. They are expected to improve notification rates and compliance within the existing legislative framework for private fostering and, therefore, to address the key problems identified with the former scheme. It is intended that these additional measures will improve the mechanisms for safeguarding children/young people in private fostering arrangements.

8. Training for Relevant Staff

The London Borough of Lewisham ensures that all staff have access to the appropriate induction and safeguarding training. The Private Fostering Service also provides presentations to key staff ensuring that they have information about the notification requirements and the assessment process for all private fostering arrangements in the borough. Training takes into account different levels and awareness about private fostering.

This is achieved by presentations to professionals in Health, Education, Housing, Social Care, Faith and Community, groups and by sending out information leaflets about private fostering via mail and e-mail, Information is also published on the London Borough of Lewisham's and on the Local Children Safeguarding board's website.

This work will be under continuous review and will be shaped to respond to issues that may arise within the community. Promotion of the notification requirements will be evaluated in terms of objectives set on a regular basis and responses to notifications will be carried out within the required timescales.

Training on private fostering will also be provided within the Local Safeguarding Children's Board training programme.

The Private Fostering Service staff attend training and briefing conferences on Private Fostering, policy and practice. In addition, we attend BAAF special interest group meetings to share information and improve policy and practice.

We ensure that all Private Fostering Service staff have a clear plan for training and personal development, this will include regular supervision and management support.

9. How Awareness of the Notification Requirements will be Promoted

Awareness of the notification requirements will be promoted through: briefing sessions, using visual aids by BAAF DVD 'Somebody Else's child: A film about private fostering' 2009 and e-mailing/mailing information about private fostering with key professionals in Health, Education, Housing and Social Care, Leisure centres and Police. We will also target Community and Faith groups including independent agencies. Professionals and members of the public can access information about private fostering via Lewisham Council's website.

We have produced publicity materials and leaflets which contain information about legal definitions in relation to privately fostered children and the process when notifying the Local Authority about a private fostering arrangement. These materials and leaflets are aimed at private foster carers, professionals, parents and community groups. These are distributed through key points of contact such as schools, libraries, Lewisham Council's offices and relevant voluntary/community groups.

10. Assessment of the Suitability of Private Foster Carers and their Household

All privately fostered children/young people within the London Borough of Lewisham will undergo a Private Fostering Arrangement Assessment in line with the London Borough of Lewisham's protocol and good practice guidelines on private fostering.

In situations where notifications have been received that children are being privately fostered an initial visit is carried out within 7 working days by a social worker from the Private Fostering Service.

In the event of a referral being received that a child who is privately fostered has been subject to a child protection incident or at is at risk of accommodation, the matter will be dealt with by the Referral and Assessment service. The Private Fostering elements of the case however remains the responsibility of the private fostering team such as case auditing and financial arrangements by the fostering Team Manager and ensuring that the outcomes are achieved in line with private fostering arrangements.

If the child becomes subject to a Section 47 CA 1989 (Child Protection) investigation then the case is held by the Referral and Assessment team until the initial Child Protection Conference and then transferred to the Family Support and Intervention Team.

As part of the Child Protection investigation the decision will need to be made as to whether the child can remain in the private fostering placement, return to the care of as person with parental responsibility or be accommodated. In addition, a decision will need to be made about convening a legal planning meeting in order to address matters relating to Prohibition.

If the arrangements are unsuitable, the Referral and Assessment Service Manager might need to consider recommending to the Parents that they seek alternative arrangements.

The Private Fostering Arrangement Assessments will be completed and signed off by the private fostering Team Manager and endorsed by the Service Manager within 35 working days.

All aspects of a private foster carers' suitability including the suitability of their households will be assessed including CRB checks on all adult members of their household.

All private fostering arrangements require:

A Private Fostering Assessment episode completed, CRB on all adults over 16 in the house, previous residence Local Authority checks and health checks on Foster Carer(s).
Supervisory Visits with initial, 6 or 12 weekly visit episodes completed

The minimum visiting requirements are as follows:

In the first year of the fostering arrangement, within one week of the beginning of the placement and thereafter every six weeks;
In the second or subsequent year, every three months (or more frequent).

The child must be seen on his or her own at each visit.

As stated above, it is also a requirement that a written report of each visit is made, and entered onto the electronic system.

The Private Fostering social worker must also arrange a visit whenever reasonably requested by the child or the carer. It is important that there is an ongoing relationship and sense of partnership between the social worker, the child and the foster carer. The foster carer should understand the purpose of the social work visits and the role of the local authority.

The purpose of the visits are to cover the following points:

General welfare (the standard of care being given to the child and the general welfare of the child.) It may be appropriate to make some visits unannounced, particularly if there are child protection concerns about the child.
The provision of a link to give encouragement to help maintain or improve the child care standards;
Keep a check on any requirements imposed and whether they need to be changed;
Ensure that the Foster Carer has access to appropriate help and advice;
Monitor the effectiveness of arrangements with the natural parents.
The child is meeting all the requirements of the Every Child Matters Agenda
Ensure the child is confident and able to contact the social worker if they require assistance outside the regular visiting times.

The regulations provide for the child to be seen alone and if this is not possible within the foster home, thought must be given to making other arrangements for this to happen for example in the child's school. The social worker will also need to provide the child with details of their email address and other information to ensure that the child can have confidential contact with them.

The Assessment Process

Private fostering social work assessments will include ensuring that the child/young person's physical, intellectual, emotional, social and behavioural development is satisfactory and needs arising from his/her religious, cultural racial and linguistic background are met. The assessment will also include financial arrangements, the suitability of the accommodation and an evaluation of the parenting capacity of the private foster carer. The child's wishes and feelings will be established through this process, subject to age and understanding and this will be clearly recorded at the initial and subsequent visits.

Contact with the parents that hold parental responsibility should be made in order to obtain written agreements.

Advice will be given to the private foster carer on the child/young person's individual needs in relation to any medical condition or learning disability in order to enhance their ability to meet the needs of the child/young person. Additional support services will be made available to private foster carers as identified in the assessment, and encouragement will also be given to the private foster carers to promote contact between the child/young person and their parents/siblings or extended family where this is deemed to be in the child's best interests.

The Private Fostering Social Work Team will respond to notifications received and visit privately fostered children/young people within statutory timescales. Written reports will be completed following these visits and recorded on Lewisham Borough's ICS database system. In accordance with the PF Regulations written records will include conclusions drawn on the arrangement, whether the child/young person was seen alone (if not, why not), his/her wishes and feelings about the arrangement, any concerns raised and any relevant advice given.

Consent will be sought for a CRB check to be undertaken on all private foster carers and adult members of their household will have an enhanced CRB check, and references to be obtained for the private foster carer.

All privately fostered children/young people will be allocated a social worker and will be given their name and contact details, and information appropriate to their age and ability about what private fostering means. Specific leaflets will be available to privately fostered children/young people and all privately fostered children will be made aware of the complaints procedure.

Those children/young people who have been deemed as 'children/young people in need' or 'disabled' whilst being privately fostered will be facilitated to undergo an adult community care assessment, as relevant before their 18th birthday.

Privately fostered children's welfare will be further promoted through an awareness campaign regarding the notification requirements, which will be carried out in the borough. Training programmes and briefings on private fostering will be available through the safeguarding board training arrangements. To deliver this Key agencies, voluntary/community sector, faith groups will able made aware of the notification requirements and of their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of privately fostered children/young people.

The Department will carry out internal file audits on a regular basis, and will implement a policy for the imposition of requirements, prohibitions, reviewing disqualifications and appeals against these. Decisions regarding private foster carers committing offences, whilst caring for privately fostered children/young people, will be made in consultation with the police. Decisions regarding the latter powers will be made whilst bearing in mind the best interests of the individual child/young person.

Where child protection concerns are identified, a child protection investigation will be carried out by the Referral and Assessment team, under the London Child Protection Procedures.

11. Advice/Support and Information Available to Private Foster Carers, Parents/those with Parental Responsibility and Privately Fostered Children

A named Social Worker will be allocated to work with and support each private foster carer, parent/those with Parental Responsibility, and the privately fostered child, and their contact details will be given in writing to the relevant parties.

During the assessment consideration will be given as to whether it is appropriate for the private foster carers to access relevant training or information materials to support them in caring for the privately fostered child. This support will be provided through a referral to relevant services by the Social Worker.

In addition to statutory visits, other visits when requested by private foster carers, the privately fostered child/young person or their parents will be undertaken. Interpreters independent of parents and private foster carers will be used where it is the request of the child/young person or where the preferred language is not English.

Private foster carers (and prospective private foster carers) will have access to advice on benefit entitlement, parenting strategies and techniques, and other appropriate training, support and resources as identified.

Parents of proposed or currently privately fostered children/young people will also be advised of other local service provision or agencies whose assistance may remove the need for the child/young person to be privately fostered if it is deemed to be in the child/young person's best interests.

Financial Arrangements

To secure the welfare of the child the private foster carer will need a clear, preferably written, agreement with the child's parents on finances. The National Guidelines expect Local authorities to ensure that prospective private foster carers have realistic expectations about costs to maintain adequately a child. They should also be clear about how far they are prepared themselves to contribute to the child's maintenance (if at all). In any event they should have sufficient resources to tide over any gaps in maintenance payments, at least temporarily. Exceptionally, action by the Local Authority could be considered to assist the private foster carer through a short period of financial hardship, which was simultaneous with a fall in maintenance payments. Such payments can be recovered. Any state entitlements should also be taken into account and if necessary the Private Fostering Social worker can as part of the Private Fostering Assessment request a full review of the carers benefit situation and assist them to claim any relevant entitlements.

Private foster carers can receive child benefit but any maintenance payments received will be counted as full maintenance in any assessment for Social Security benefits.

12. Ensuring the Welfare of Privately Fostered Children is Safeguarded and Promoted

Children's Social care will ensure that privately fostered children/young people's welfare is satisfactorily safeguarded and promoted by staff following the London Borough of Lewisham's Protocol on Private Fostering, adhering to the new regulations on private fostering and by undertaking Private Fostering Arrangement Assessment record is completed within timescale.

The Private Fostering Arrangement Assessments will be signed off by the private fostering Team Manager and endorsed by the Service Manager with clear recommendations for agreement or not of the arrangements.

Prohibitions

The Local Authority has the power to prohibit private fostering if it is of the opinion that the private foster carer or proposed foster carer is not a suitable person to look after a child for the following reasons:

The premises in which the child will be, or is being, accommodated are not suitable;
It would be prejudicial to the welfare of the child for him/her to be, or continue to be, accommodated by that person on those premises.
The child would be at risk of significant harm.

The prohibition may apply to:

Any child in any premises within the area of the Local Authority;
Any child in premises specified in the prohibition;
A child identified in the prohibition, in premises specified in the prohibition.

As with any 'requirement', notice of a prohibition must be given in writing to the foster carer or proposed foster carer, with information on their right of appeal and the time limit for appeal. Any proposal to issue a prohibition should be presented to the Director of children social care with all relevant reports and assessments.

The carer will be advised regarding the concerns in writing with clear expectations from the Local Authority within realistic timescales.

A Legal planning meeting will also be convened to decide on prohibition of the carer to privately foster. The carer and, if appropriate, child/young person will be advised of the outcome of this meeting in writing within 48 hours by the Director of children social care.

If the carer wishes to appeal the decision, then this must be submitted in writing to the Director of children social care within fourteen days of the prohibition letter being sent. Any appeal hearing will be undertaken by the Senior management team.

Transfer of Private Fostering Cases from the Referral and Assessment Service to the Looked After Children Service

Private fostering cases will transfer from the Private fostering team to the Looked After Children service at the start of the 12 weekly visit i.e. one year mark. Case responsibility therefore will be held within the Looked After children service from this time. If during this time it is identified that alternative Private Fostering Arrangements are needed then this arrangement will be re-assessed by the Private fostering team and as such will be treated as a new arrangement and the transfer process will be initiated.

The private fostering carer must, In the event of illness, holiday arrangements or other unforeseen circumstances, notify the local authority if they intend to make arrangements for the privately fostered child to stay with a person from their extended family / friendship network.

In these circumstances the allocated social worker must consider the following:

Educational attendance breakdown and academic progress
Private Fostering Discharge Reports
Change of Circumstance Reports
Annual Reviews of existing Private Fostering Arrangements
Written updates for Panel on specific safeguarding and welfare issues.

13. The Role of other Agencies in Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Privately Fostered Children, Including Encouraging Notification

Partner agencies are provided with information about their responsibilities regarding notifications about privately fostered children.

The Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board has a central role in overseeing the effectiveness of these arrangements and a report outlining each agency's role in identifying and supporting private fostering arrangements will be presented to the Safeguarding Board on an annual basis.

The new regulations include a key message for all agencies about the need to support notification of private fostering arrangements. It is also important that all agencies are aware of the relationship between private fostering and safeguarding activities. Some children who are privately fostered may also have been trafficked and be at risk of exploitation, child slavery domestic servitude or other forms of abuse.

In order to ensure key agencies are aware of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding issues, the London Borough of Lewisham Private Fostering Service undertakes visits, provides presentations, offers advice and provides information about the potential risks to children in private fostering arrangements. Other agencies will also have access to information through e-mail, Internet and printed literature.

To further promote the safeguarding and notifications of privately fostered children/young people, Lewisham has adopted a Inter agency Steering group.

Group membership consists of:

Chair (Service Manager for Private Fostering)
Team Manager Private Fostering Team
Police
Health professionals
Education professionals
Immigration officer
Community representatives

Purpose of this group is:

To raise professional awareness and understanding of private fostering with
To raise awareness of practitioners and agencies working with families, children and young people of their role and responsibility in notifying Children and Young People's Services of private fostering arrangements
To provide a forum for networking and discussion about shared issues and to identify solutions and proposals for improved inter-agency service delivery for privately fostered children, their carers and their parents.
To provide a forum for managers, practitioners and policy officers to discuss legislation, research, policy and practice in relation to private fostering, in order to inform and develop evidence based social work and improve standards of child care practice.
To facilitate mutual support and the interchange of information and good practice amongst practitioners concerned with private fostering.
To contribute to conferences, seminars and training events in relation to private fostering
To discuss research developments, identify gaps and work with researchers interested in the relevant areas of private fostering work.

14. How Relevant Staff will have an Understanding of the Department's Duties and Functions in Relation to Private Fostering

Children's Services staff will have access to this Statement of Purpose, and the London Borough of Lewisham' Private Fostering Procedure.

Other directorates within the London Borough of Lewisham and outside agencies will also have these documents, together with printed information leaflets and relevant documentation through the LSBC training programme and also through circulation via e-mail and direct mail by the private fostering service.

The Private Fostering Service worker (s) are available to attend team meetings to provide staff with further information about private fostering and their responsibilities under the regulations and national minimum standards. We also undertake follow-up visits to outside organisations where appropriate.

15. How the Department will Ensure that its Duties and Functions Regarding Private Fostering are Included in an Induction and other Training Programmes and these are Reviewed and Evaluated Annually in line with Changes in Legislation and Guidance

The Local Safeguarding Children's Board will ensure that its duties and functions in relation to private fostering are included in the LSCB training plan and will be reviewed annually in light of any changes in legislation, guidance and best practice developments. The evaluation of training programmes will be collated to ensure that the training meets the needs of the participants in terms of their duties and functions regarding private fostering.

In addition to this, individual workers' training needs in relation to private fostering will be assessed as part of the Children's Services' Personal Development Assessments.

All newly appointed Social Workers will undergo appropriate induction, and will have access to ongoing training in relation to the duties and functions, concerning private fostering through the safeguarding arrangements.

16. Monitoring the Discharge of Functions and Compliance with Part 9 of the Children Act 1989

Under Regulation 12, the Service Manager or Private Fostering Panel/Steering group, will monitor the way the Department complies with and discharges its statutory duties and functions in relation to private fostering and will monitor compliance with the following duties and functions:

A multi agency Private Fostering Panel/steering group chaired by Service Manager for Referral & Assessment which meets quarterly and oversees practice standards and progress on individual cases as well as approving private fostering arrangements.
All approved private fostering arrangements are reviewed on a case to case basis to ensure that the National Standards are being complied with.
Management Information is produced monthly for review
Private Fostering Activity is overseen by the Lewisham Children's Safeguarding Board. An annual report on activity is presented to the Board.
Members are kept informed about the work of the Private Fostering Service through periodic briefings to the safeguarding board.
Positive outcomes for Privately Fostered children can only be achieved by all those professionals who know the child working together to meet their needs and these professionals would be expected to participate as a member of the Team Around the Child. After a child has been Privately fostered for 9 months a formal review will be held by Children's Social Care at which all involved professionals will be expected to actively participate.
The promotion of awareness regarding notification requirements.
How the Department responds to notifications received and if these are within timescales.
How the Department manages disqualifications, (refusal to consent to disqualified persons being private foster carers), prohibitions, requirements and appeals against these.
How the Department exercises its functions under section 67(5), Children Act 1989.
How the Department processes decisions regarding offences committed bearing in mind the best interests of the child/young person.
How the Department assesses the parenting capacity of prospective or actual private foster carers, members of their households and the suitability of their accommodation.
That statutory visits are within timescales and decisions about the suitability of arrangements are also within timescale and approved at managerial level.
That additional visits are made when requested by the child/young person, private foster carers, parents or those with parental responsibility.
That written reports are made in accordance with the Regulations, i.e. recommendations on the arrangement, the child/young person seen alone, wishes and feelings of child/young person, contact and financial arrangements and any concerns raised.
That advice and support is provided to private foster carers, parents/those with parental responsibility or any person concerned with the child/young person and recorded.
That information and support is provided to privately fostered children/young people.
That independent interpreters are used as appropriate.
That a sample of child/young person's records are regularly audited to check that compliance with the Regulations is being fulfilled.
That any concerns raised by privately fostered children/young people are investigated.
That a system is in place recording the number and nature of enquiries received in relation to private fostering, the responses given and action taken.
That privately fostered children/young people, carers, parents and others concerned are given a copy of the London Borough Lewisham's Complaints Procedure and given information on how to access their records.
Storing of confidential materials such as CRB's

17. Advice on Private Fostering

This Statement of Purpose and the Protocol on Private Fostering Arrangements along with advice on private fostering can be obtained from the private fostering social work service on 020 8314 6523 or on London Borough of Lewisham's website.

Contact Details - Children's Services

To make a notification of a child who you think is privately fostered. Please contact the duty service on 02083146660
Advice and information on private fostering. Please contact Angela Paul, Private Fostering social worker on 020 8314 6523
Team Manager for all children privately fostered children - Marisa de Jager Team Manager on 02083143074

This Private Fostering Services' Statement of Purpose will be available in languages of the local community.

End