FOI request (FOIR-316553246)

Private Fostering

Requested Tue 16 March 2021
Responded  Tue 23 March 2021

Please can you break down the below information for the 2019 and 2020 calendar years? Can you also please provide me the information for the period between 1st January 2021 and 28 February 2021?

1. Over the stated period, on how many separate occasions did a member of the public contact your council to inform you they suspected that a child was living in a private fostering arrangement (that hadn't been reported)? In order to report such a suspected private fostering arrangement, people are often directed to a council's children safeguarding board/children's services team (or similar) or encouraged to fill out a form (such as via a Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub) on the local authority's website. Please can you break down Q1 in terms of what type of person reported the private fostering arrangement (for example, but not limited to school/teacher, neighbour)?

a. How many of the children living under such private fostering arrangements were found to have a disability (please specify what kind, such as autism, down syndrome if that information, indeed, is recorded and retrievable under the constraints of the act)?

b. Following the subsequent completion of the Private Fostering Assessment (or similarly titled) form, how many placements were found to be prohibited?

c. How many of the private foster carers had convictions recorded on their DBS disclosure form? Could you please breakdown all the above information in a table and on a case to case basis over the requested period?

Response

Information not held

Fostering is dealt with by East Sussex County Council, please visit their website for further information:

https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk