Any parent, private foster carer, or anyone else involved
in making a private fostering arrangement, must notify
the Council in which the child will be, or is placed.
You have a responsibility to ensure that your child is in
a suitable and safe private fostering arrangement that
provides for your child’s cultural, religious, linguistic
and other needs. If you think that your child will be in
this placement for 28 days or longer, you have a legal
duty to tell the London Borough of Lewisham at least
six weeks before the arrangement is due to start.
If the arrangement is due to start within six weeks or is
already in place, then you must tell the Referral and
Assessment Team at the London Borough of Lewisham
immediately.
The law states that you must tell us of a private
fostering arrangement within the timescales outlined.
This information will help us to ensure that your child is
well looked after and does not come to any harm.
A private fostering arrangement does not mean that
you are giving up your rights to your child. This is a
temporary arrangement and you still have parental responsibility and will continue to be involved in all
decisions about your child’s life. It is very important
that you stay in contact with your child as much as
possible. By staying in contact you will know of any
changes in the circumstances of the carer, for example
if they go on holiday or move house.
What information do I need to give to the carer?
You should ensure that there is a formal agreement
with the private foster carer so that all parties are aware
of the expectations and everyone is clear about their
roles and responsibilities. You should give important
information about your child and provide as much
detail as possible. This should include what they like to
eat, what they like to do in their spare time, and
information about their school.
It is very important that you let the private foster carer
know of your child’s medical history and pass on details
of his/her religious and cultural background. This will
help the private foster carer to look after your child and
understand them better.