Private Fostering Awareness Campaign

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Bradford Children and Families Trust (BCFT) has launched a new campaign to inform and educate Bradford residents and those working with children and their families of private fostering and the importance of notifying BCFT of the arrangement.

Bradford Schools Online – Private Fostering Campaign Message

There can be instances in a child’s life when they may need to live elsewhere, away from the family home where they are cared for by someone else who is known to the family. This could be a short term arrangement to support the family or it may be more long term spanning many months or years. Depending on the circumstances of the arrangement, this could be defined as private fostering.

Bradford Children and Families Trust (BCFT) has launched a new campaign to inform and educate Bradford residents and those working with children and their families of private fostering and the importance of notifying BCFT of the arrangement.

The campaign will be reaching the people of Bradford District through social media, schools, GP surgeries, religious and community settings, libraries and sports and leisure venues across the district.

Private fostering is a term used when a child or young person under the age of 16, or 18 if the young person has a disability, lives with and is cared for by an adult who is not a parent or close relative for longer than 28 days. The carer in a private fostering situation would not be a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, stepparent through marriage or civil partnership or a sibling. The agreement very often is an informal one decided privately between the parents of the child and the intended carer and generally doesn’t involve children’s services.

There can be lots of different reasons why a child cannot live at home, for instance as a result of their parents breaking up or conflict at home, a young person wanting to live with their girlfriend or boyfriend, or perhaps a child has been sent to live in the UK without their parents for medical or education reasons. Private fostering also applies to children who attend a residential school and stay either at the school or with a host family during the holidays for over 28 days.

Since the Children Act 2004, it has been a legal responsibility for a Local Authority to know about children and young people who are Privately Fostered. Since April 2023, Bradford Children and Families Trust has delivered children’s social care on behalf of Bradford Council. BCFT have a duty to assess and monitor arrangements to make sure the child or young person is safe, they are happy and their needs are being met.

Professionals in health, social care and education play an important role as they are often the first people to become aware of a private fostering arrangement, but BCFT wants everyone to understand the term private fostering and to recognise when a child may be being cared for in this way.

For more information on Private Fostering visit Private fostering | Bradford Children and Families Trust (bradfordcft.org.uk)

7-minute-briefing-private-fostering.pdf

To make a referral about a private fostering arrangement, call the Integrated Front Door on 01274 433999.

If you have concerns that a child or young people may be at risk of harm you should follow your Child Protection Procedures.


Information

Published: 19/11/2024
Audience: Head Teachers, School Admissions, SENCO, Safe Guarding Officer. Teachers.
Contact: Uzma Moody

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