Thousands of youngsters who are living in private foster care could be “effectively invisible” because local authorities are often not notified of the arrangement, a charity warned today.
A poll from the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) found just 18% of Londoners understood that private fostering involved a child under 16 being placed in the care of someone who is not a parent or close relative.
And only 16% knew that it is an offence not to inform local authorities of the arrangement.
The charity is worried that many youngsters living in private foster care may have “slipped through the net”.
It said private fostering could be a solution in circumstances where, for example, a teenager has fallen out with his or her parents and goes to live with a friend, or a family agrees to look after a child from abroad.
But in some cases the child may be a victim of trafficking or may be vulnerable to abuse or neglect.
David Holmes, chief executive of BAAF, said: “There is a disturbing lack of awareness of private fostering. This could be putting vulnerable children at risk.
“We believe there may be hundreds – or even thousands – of children and young people living with private foster carers in London who are effectively invisible because no-one has notified the local authority about the arrangement.
“Parents and carers need to realise that they are breaking the law if they do not tell the local authority. They may also be missing out on information and support. And it is vital that every single professional who comes into contact with children understands what private fostering is and notifies where appropriate.
“If local authorities do not know where these children are and who they are living with, then they are powerless to keep them safe.”
At the end of March 2007 local authorities in London knew of 360 private fostering arrangements.
In 2001, the Department of Health estimated that there were about 10,000 children living in private foster care in England and Wales.
Source: Community Newswire
