Information for Workers

Private Fostering

On 1 July 2005, Section 44 of the Children Act 2004  was implemented plus new regulations, minimum standards and guidance.

Did you know that:

• The original private fostering legislation was drawn up in the 1800s when a foster mother was discovered to be fostering babies, taking out life assurance on them and then murdering them?
• Private foster children are currently among the most vulnerable in our society?
• Most private foster children in Swindon are local children living apart from their families because they are uncomfortable about new step-parents or because their parents have issues with drugs or alcohol?

The new legislation strengthens and enhances the existing private fostering notification scheme, providing a number of new challenges to local authorities who are now required to focus more attention on privately fostered children.

Web Links

British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) - in depth information about private fostering in the UK, with links to key source documents. http://www.baaf.org.uk/info/lpp/pf/index.shtml

Every Child Matters Web Site - Private Fostering page

Children’s experience of private fostering, Ofsted, 30 September 2008.  The Children's Rights Director reported the views of children who were living with private foster parents in 2005. This new report is a follow-up, small-scale survey to check with privately fostered children how the Government's rules and regulations about private fostering are working out for them. Overall, the children reported improvements in private fostering, although there is still wide variability and incomplete implementation of the new legal requirements.