News

By Bob Holman.
Russell House Publishing
£14.95
ISBN 1 903855 03 09

Holman has been promoting the cause of privately fostered children and their carers for 40 years. Since the publication of his initial research, little seems to have changed in the responses of welfare agencies to privately fostered children.

The book is informative and well researched. Private fostering is placed within a historical, legislative and political context. Most importantly, the author relates the direct experiences of those who have been privately fostered and their carers. While interest in private fostering has fluctuated over the years, there has been a silent recognition that the number of children privately fostered is much higher than any agency would admit. Privately fostered children are denied the same safeguards as other children living away from home, while the contribution of private foster carers remains unrecognised. Knowledge among welfare professionals remains limited, and services patchy.

Recommendations are made for reform of the present system, including a more effective awareness campaign, exploring the case for registration, and inclusion in the Quality Protects programme, with a budget to match. The call for a more proactive approach to private fostering by central government and local authorities is powerfully made, and such action is long overdue.

Brendan McGrath is private fostering co-ordinator, Gloucestershire County Council.