Professionals to notify councils of private fostering arrangements

Teachers, health and other professionals in England are required
to notify local authorities if they come across cases of private
fostering, under new proposed statutory guidance,
writes Amy Taylor.

The plans require the professionals to notify councils if they
are “not satisfied” that the local authority has
already been or will be notified of the arrangement.

The Department of Education and Skills guidance, which is out
for consultation until 16 March, looks at how to achieve
co-operation between agencies to improve the wellbeing of children
– as set out in section 10 of the Children Act 2004.

A strengthened notification system for private fostering also is
outlined in the Act but it falls short of campaigners’ calls
for a new register of private foster children and carers to be set
up.

The government has inserted a “sunset clause” into
the Act which allows it to establish a register in England without
the need for new legislation if  it feels the reforms are not
working as well in practice as it expects

Statutory guidance on interagency co-operation to improve
the wellbeing of children: children’s trusts from:

www.dfes.gov.uk

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