Private Fostering Awareness Day 8th November

BREAKFAST BRIEFING | 9.00am-9.45am | ONLINE

Join Ann Horne and Clare Seth for a free and open access Breakfast Briefing – An Introduction to Private Fostering. This 45-minute session will provide key information about private fostering – what it is, who are the children, and the respective responsibilities of child care professionals, partner agencies, local authorities, parents and private foster carers in meeting the needs of privately fostered children.

https://corambaaf.org.uk/form/private-fostering-awareness-day1

PRESENTERS

Ann Horne and Clare Seth are CoramBAAF’s Kinship Consultants. They have both worked in local authorities as social workers and managers, with experience in kinship care, fostering and adoption between them. They co-facilitate CoramBAAF’s Private Fostering Practice Forums.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Breakfast Briefing is particularly relevant to social workers new to this area or colleagues working in health, education and other partner agencies.

For social workers, reflection on this session may contribute to your continuing professional development (CPD).

FEES

This event is free and open access to anyone who wishes to attend.

LUNCH AND LEARN – Private Fostering Practice | 12.30pm-2pm | ONLINE

A panel of professionals will present and share information about different aspects of private fostering practice. We don’t know the exact numbers of children living in private fostering arrangements. But we do know that many people don’t understand what private fostering is or how it differs from kinship care or unrelated foster care. We therefore need to raise awareness to make sure that children and families are getting the support available to them.

We will hear some promising practice from different local authorities with the focus on raising awareness, hear recorded interviews with some young people living in private fostering, and from a senior inspector from Ofsted exploring priorities for good practice from an inspection perspective. The event will provide the opportunity and momentum for your local authority to consider updating or creating new materials. And there will be an opportunity to ask questions of the panel of professionals.

PRESENTERS

The Panel will consist of:

Representatives from Barnet, BCP, Essex, Dudley and Portsmouth local authorities, who will share how they raise awareness and support private fostering arrangements.

Jeremy Gleaden is a registered social worker and qualified family mediator. He is Ofsted’s policy lead for local authority children’s services and family justice. He has led the development of new inspection frameworks, including the inspection of local authority children’s services (ILACS), the joint targeted area inspections (JTAI) and the framework for the inspection of Cafcass. Jeremy’s background includes criminal justice inspection, consultancy and work in local authority children’s services as a manager and practitioner.

Augusta Itua, legal consultant at CoramBAAF. Augusta joined CoramBAAF in April 2023 and job-shares with Alexandra Conroy Harris, assisting with our advice line and service delivery for our members. Augusta qualified as a youth justice lawyer, providing holistic legal representation to children and young adults with complex needs. Augusta balances her part-time role at CoramBAAF with her position as the Head of the Children’s Rights Advice Service at Article 39.

Ann Horne and Clare Seth are CoramBAAF’s Kinship Consultants. They have both worked in local authorities as social workers and managers, with experience in kinship care, fostering and adoption between them. They co-facilitate CoramBAAF’s Private Fostering Practice Forums.

Pippa Bow, Advice Line manager, CoramBAAF, has extensive experience in the voluntary sector including work with parents and carers of disabled children, in women’s health services and as an advice professional. Since 2006 she has worked for national organisations in fostering and adoption first with the Fostering Network, Fosterline and then as lead adviser with First4Adoption before joining CoramBAAF in 2017 as dedicated adviser for our members’ advice service.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Lunch and Learn is particularly relevant for social workers already working in the private fostering area, but also to senior leaders and managers with responsibility for private fostering practice and strategic planning.

For social workers, reflection on this session may contribute to your continuing professional development (CPD).

FEES

Members: FREE (don’t forget to log in to your account to receive your discount)
Non-members: £20+VAT.

Places on this event are limited, so early booking is recommended.

CONTACT

Email events@corambaaf.org.uk

Members book here