What can be done to protect children in private fostering arrangements?
The law defines private fostering as a child living with an adult who isn’t a close relative for more than 28 days. It covers teenagers who have argued with parents and are living at a friend’s house; foreign children living at summer language schools as well as children who’ve been trafficked into the UK illegally. New figures state that 1,330 children are registered as living in private foster care, but the real number is estimated to be very much higher. What can be done to protect the children who have slipped through the system? Razia discusses the issues with David Holmes from the British Association of Adoption & Fostering and Steve Miley, Manager of Children's Services at Hammersmith & Fulham Council, London.
