Useful information
Care and Support for Children and Families
Children, Schools and Families
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Fostering

National Private Fostering Awareness Week

National Private Fostering Awareness Week raises the profile of a national campaign called Somebody Else’s Child – Everybody’s responsibility, which is run by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, and aims to raise awareness of private fostering.

• www.privatefostering.org.uk

CSF is urging professionals in Hertfordshire to help them as part of this campaign to ensure the safety and well-being of children who are being cared for by someone who is not a direct relative, in what is called Private Fostering.

Private fostering is when someone, who is not a close relative, cares for another person’s child for 28 days or more and although this is a private arrangement, legally the parent and the carer must notify the local authority where the child is going to live so that the local authority can ensure that the child is being properly looked after. 

This is a potentially vulnerable group of children who often remain invisible to CSF.  If you suspect that a pupil at your school may be living with someone that is not a close relative please notify CSF client services on 01438 737500 or 01923 471500 for further advice.

For more information on private fostering contact Claire Morgans, claire.morgans@hertscc.gov.uk.

• www.privatefostering.org.uk

Working Together to Keep Children Safe - an Update on Private Fostering

Since early 2006 the private fostering action group has been working to raise the profile and understanding of private fostering with professionals from CSF and its partners.

Under the Children Act 1989 the local authority needs to be told if a child or young person isn’t living with their parents so that it can make sure they are healthy, safe and doing well. We will then arrange regular visits to check that the child or young person is being well looked after and we can also give help and advice to the carers, the parents and the young person.

In the last few years there has been a significant increase in the number of notifications. However, this still needs to be increased as it is estimated that there may be hundreds of children across the county in private fostering arrangements that we haven’t been notified about. This is a potentially vulnerable group of children who often remain invisible to CSF.

New Private Fostering Leaflet for Children and Young People
CSF has produced posters and leaflets that have been distributed widely across the county.  There is an addition to this series with a leaflet aimed at young people at the assessment stage to help explain what happens in private fostering arrangements and how CSF will be involved.

•  Adobe pdf, 555kb/2 pages, 30/10/2008, private_fostering_leaflet.pdf

Recommend a Foster Carer or Shared Carer and get £250 High Street Vouchers

Recommend them as a foster carer or shared carer and get £250 high street vouchers once they are approved.

Foster carers take care of someone else’s child in a safe and stable environment. In return for this valuable work we pay foster carers up to £384 per child per week.

Shared carers are volunteers who offer flexible short term care for children who have a disability including those with learning difficulties, autism and physical impairments.

Qualities of a good foster carer or shared carer include giving children the time and attention they need, sticking with them through good and bad times and working with other professionals involved in the child’s life. 

We need people of all ages, races and religions. They could be single, married or living together: with or without children; retired or working from home; or disabled.

All Hertfordshire County Council employees are eligible to receive the bonus, apart from those working for the Family Placement Service.

To find out more please contact Claire Morgans, claire.morgans@hertscc.gov.uk or 01992 556957.

More information available on Connect:

• http://connect.hertscc.gov.uk/

Recruitment of Foster Carers

Some schools have recently been targeted by independent fostering agencies to help them in their drive to recruit more foster carers.

Although CSF sometimes uses the service of these agencies, our aim is to approve sufficient Hertfordshire County Council foster carers so that we have an in-house pool of carers.  The benefit of using an in-house system is that it enables CSF as corporate parents to provide a stable family home for a child within their community, which helps to preserve as much continuity as possible in the child’s life. In addition, our foster carers have access to a comprehensive training and support system to help them have a long and successful career as a foster carer.

By reducing our reliance on external providers of placements for children, which are poor value for money, we will also make significant savings which are re-invested into support services for families and placements.

In order to help us achieve this we need to recruit at least 60 more foster carers this year. This is a challenge and support from all areas of CSF is always appreciated.

The fostering service would like to take this opportunity to ask you to work with us to help us recruit in-house foster carers. We are always keen to have information stands at parents’ evenings or school fetes, or supply posters and leaflets to display at your school.

If you would like to help or would like more information please contact Claire Morgans on 01992 556 957 or email Claire Morgans, claire.morgans@hertscc.gov.uk

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