All visits should be recorded at the private care visit stage and in case notes. Visits by a social worker must be made within one week of placement with the child and the person caring for the foster home home, or on the date the notification was received, whichever is later, and then visits by a social worker every six weeks for the first year. While most cases of private care are set up for good reasons, we must also be open to the possibility that the child has been trafficked. Checks should be repeated every three years as part of longer-term private care. The period of private care must be longer than 28 days. The social worker conducting the assessment must ensure that checks on the private caregiver, all household members and frequent visitors over the age of 16 are conducted using records from the Disclosure and Prohibitions Service and Children`s Services (including for previous address areas). The social worker should also obtain written references and visit personal references. If the proposed or actual private carer does not live in Nottinghamshire, notification must be given to the local authority where they live. Information from the educational offer of children in private foster care is necessary to provide the employee with insight into the quality of care the biological child receives from the private caregiver.
The primary SWSO will send a private educational reference letter for children in private foster care. All boards, including Coventry, have a legal duty to ensure that children who are in private care are well cared for, safe and that their needs are met. Coventry City Council: If a private carer was not aware of the need to inform the local authority, they should do so as soon as they become aware of the situation. In order to understand and care for the child, it is advisable that the caregiver receives as much information about the child as possible, and this information should be shared with the local authority upon notification. This information should include: For more information on private care, see our guide to children in private foster care While the child remains in a private foster care arrangement, the affected worker must follow private care policies, procedures and guidelines. A private care facility is always identified as such, whether parents, people with RP or caregivers recognize it. Checks carried out by the authorities can only be carried out if consent has been obtained. In the absence of consent, the assessment will be completed with known information.
The designated employee should discuss any concerns about consent with their team leader, who can arrange a strategy meeting if necessary. In the event that the parents refuse to make alternative arrangements, or if the parents cannot be found, the social worker should consider whether local authorities can take steps to ensure the child`s safety in London child protection proceedings and legal advice should be sought if necessary. All responsibilities of private foster parents are documented in the form of a working agreement for the evaluation of private foster care. Parents who can be classified as private caregivers include: Private care is when a child or young person under the age of 16 (or 18 if they have a disability) is cared for for a period of 28 days or more by a person who is not a close relative, legal guardian or person with parental responsibility. Close relatives include parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Other people, such as neighbors, friends, or more distant relatives, need to have an assessment. After a successful assessment, the child must be visited by local authorities at least every 90 days to ensure that he or she is and remains safe. The person who cares for you at home is called a caregiver. A close relative is defined as a step-parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether thoroughbred, half-blood or step-blood). Mosaic checks are necessary to verify that the proposed or actual private carer(s) or a member of their household is/was known to social services (and to contact other local authorities if the proposed private carer has lived in other areas).
A close relative is defined by the Children Act 1989 as a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (thoroughbred, half-blood or step-blood) or step-parent. In this context, a step-parent refers only to a parent who was married to the child`s biological parent. A child living with one of these parents would not be considered to be living in a private care facility. (N.B. They would still be considered „close relatives“ if they have already separated/divorced.) A report of each visit must be made by the social worker. The report must indicate whether the child was seen and, if so, whether the child was seen alone. If the child has not been seen, the reasons must be recorded. The record must include the child`s well-being and the progress of the placement, including the views expressed by the private caregiver and the child.
It should also include a recommendation on whether the adequacy of the care agreement should be maintained and whether measures should be taken and/or requirements imposed on the private carer. Private care is an arrangement under which a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) (section 66 of the Children Act 1989) is placed in the care of a person who is not the child`s parent or a „relative“ for 28 days or more. A private assessment of skills is the only assessment required, unless additional needs or risks are identified and an assessment under section 17 or section 47 of the Children Act (1989) is required. It may be decided to prohibit the proposed private carer from providing care because it is not suitable and/or the premises are not suitable. Local authorities are required by law to protect all children from harm and neglect. Biological parents, carers of private persons, and persons who ensure that a child is in private care are legally required to inform the City Council`s Department of Children`s Services of the agreement. If you know someone in a personal or professional capacity who is promoting privately or is about to do so, you should encourage them to notify children`s services and, if they are unable to do so, you should take responsibility for the notice. A first private visit must be made within 7 working days of the date of notification. This applies regardless of whether the child already lives there. The purpose of the visit is to determine if it is a private care arrangement and if it is a safe place for the child.
The purpose of this visit will be to meet with the supervisor and visit the premises, including the children`s room. Private care is a private agreement between a parent and a caregiver. When a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) is cared for and placed for 28 days or more by an adult who is not a family member, it is called private care. Once the agreement in principle is given, the social worker should ensure that private caregivers conduct a financial assessment. If foster parents at the local level communicate their intention to care for a child in private, the procedure described above must be followed. The fitness assessment of private caregivers will be completed by the employee assigned to the child and completed within 45 business days of the date of notification. There are many reasons why a child is cared for in the private sector. These include: If the child in private care is already considered a child in need or is the subject of a child protection plan, these guidelines will also be followed. Additional visits must be arranged at the request of the child or caregiver. The local authority has a legal obligation to ensure that all private care facilities are safe for the child or young person.
Once the municipality is aware of the agreement, it assesses the suitability of private caregivers, visits the child or young person regularly and ensures that advice, help and support are available when needed. Professionals must notify the local authority of a private care agreement brought to their attention if they are not satisfied that the local authority has been or will be informed of the agreement so that the local authority can fulfil its duty to protect and promote the welfare of the child in private care. When notified that the private care agreement has been terminated, the employee assigned to the child must indicate the name and address of the person currently caring for the child and their relationship to the child.