Private Foster Care
If you care for a child that is not your own you may be a foster carer without even realising it.
The council is working hard to make sure private foster carers are aware of their rights and responsibilities and are taking advantage of all the help available to them.
And, since the introduction of new rules following the tragic death of Victoria Climbie, Children's Services have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all privately fostered children.
A private foster carer is someone who cares for a child on a full-time basis. They provide somewhere for the child to live for 28 days or more, and they are not an immediate relative.
It is not the same as ordinary foster caring, in which the council has ultimate responsibility for the child and arranges the foster care. The care is arranged privately between the carer and the child's parent.
It's estimated that up to 10,000 children in the UK are looked after by private foster carers. Often children that are sent to Britain from abroad are privately fostered by members of their extended family, such as great aunts and cousins. Other children may live with a friend's parents when the relationship with their own has broken down.
Sometimes private arrangements are made because of parents' work commitments, or young mothers who find it difficult to cope may ask a friend to look after their baby.
But although the arrangement is worked out privately, the new rules mean the council must be informed.
This is so that Children's Services and other professionals in areas such as education and healthcare can make sure the child is safe and well cared for. You must tell the council at least six weeks before the arrangement begins. Checks will be made, followed by regular visits once the child moves in. If the arrangement is made in an emergency, you must inform the council within 48 hours. If it is already going on, you must inform the council immediately. Wandsworth Children's Services will provide a resource pack outlining carers' rights and responsibilities. They will also advise on issues such as benefits and housing. For more information, call (020) 8871 6622 between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, or email childreferraldutymanager@wandsworth.gov.uk
Case Study
Jennifer Hodges looks after her 11-year-old cousin Daya after Daya's parents found it increasingly difficult to afford to send her to a good school in her native Zimbabwe.
Prices kept increasing, so in the end they asked me I would look after her. She's a Belgian citizen, so she was able to live here, and so far it's all worked out very well.
I had no idea I was a private foster carer until I spoke to the housing department and they said social services had to be informed.
I found it a bit invasive initially when they came round to check things out and ask me questions, but now I know it's definitely necessary because some children are not looked after properly.
They come every six weeks, look around the house and speak to us, and to Daya separately.
But we had no problems because Daya's like my daughter. For me her education is the most important thing – that's why she's here.