New report finds some improvements in private fostering but further work required

Some progress has been made by Welsh local authorities to further improve the safeguards for children who are privately fostered but more work is needed, the Chief Inspector of Care and Social Services in Wales said today .

In 2006, revised legislation and guidance was issued that strengthened and added to a local authority's responsibilities to assess and monitor the suitability of private fostering arrangements in their area.

A Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) review of arrangements for private fostering found that while there is evidence of some good and innovative practice, and of individual professionals working hard to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are privately fostered, this is not consistent and the majority of councils have more work to do before the revised regulations and statutory guidance are fully implemented.

The review found:

- The number of children known to be privately fostered in Wales remains low and there are improvements to be made to the way that many authorities raise awareness about private fostering;

- The quality of assessment of children and private foster carers is inconsistent across Wales and the support available to them requires development; and,

- Many authorities can improve the way they monitor and quality assure their duties in relation to private fostering.

Speaking at a conference to raise awareness of good practice in private fostering, Rob Pickford said: "Private foster carers provide care and support for some of the most vulnerable young people in society.

"There is some good practice across Wales in the way local authorities manage their responsibilities for private fostering. The report shows that more needs to be done to ensure that local authorities fulfil their private fostering responsibilities. In doing this, they need to build on the good practice we have identified.

"CSSIW and The British Association for Adoption and Fostering in Wales (BAAF Cymru) are co-hosting a conference today where participants can learn about the good practice identified in Wales and use this to develop and improve local services."

Notes

The conference takes place at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells today.

This week, a series of events are taking place across the UK to raise awareness of private fostering.

The CSSIW review of private fostering arrangements will be published on the CSSIW website at cssiw

CSSIW