Press releases

MPs join BAAF and The Voice to raise the profile of private fostering

Issued: 26 October 2005

• More than 35 MPs to attend a private fostering reception at the House of Commons held by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering and GV Media Group
• The Rt. Hon. Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families to speak
• Survey of The Voice newspaper readers to reveal more needs to be done for privately fostered children

More than 100 people are expected to attend the first ever Westminster reception today on private fostering. Survey findings will reveal how much more needs to be done to protect privately fostered children.

Journalist and author Yinka Sunmonu will present the results of a survey she has undertaken with The Voice newspaper. It gauges readers' awareness of private fostering and presents their views about how children from the black community living in such arrangements can be protected.

The Rt. Hon. Beverley Hughes MP, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, will explain what the Government is doing to safeguard privately fostered children.

Mary Tapper, an adult born in Sierra Leone, who was privately fostered there and in England, will share her very difficult experiences. Felicity Collier, BAAF Chief Executive, will speak about the range of private fostering situations known to BAAF and what more needs to be done.

Felicity Collier, BAAF Chief Executive, says: "At present no-one knows how many children in this country are being privately fostered but we believe there are at least 10,000. Of course many of these children are very well cared for but sadly others are in an incredibly vulnerable situation. As a result of the Children Act that came in on July 1, local authorities now have a duty to raise awareness of private fostering and the need to notify them about any private fostering arrangements, but much more still needs to be done."

She adds: "We are delighted that The Voice Newspaper is working so hard to raise awareness. Many privately fostered children are from West Africa and we need to reach the black community which has a vital role to play in ensuring these children are safe. Today we will hear the moving story of a privately fostered person. This personal account, along with broader perspectives from The Voice survey, will generate lively debate."

Yvonne Richards-Wilks, Deputy Managing Director of GV Media Group Limited, publisher of Voice Newspaper, Weekly Gleaner and Young Voices, says: ''The subject of private fostering is one that is very close to our hearts and as such the Voice newspaper have remained at the forefront of articulating, campaigning and highlighting the issues to our diverse audiences. We again demonstrate our commitment through the commissioning of this report and quite rightly, to do so in partnership with the much respected BAAF."

Beverley Hughes, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, said: "I welcome the collaboration between the Gleaner Voice Newspaper Group and BAAF in raising awareness of the legal requirement for parents and carers to notify private fostering arrangements to their local authority.

Notes to Editors

The reception will take place between 12.30 and 2.30 on Wednesday, 26 October. Journalists wishing to attend should contact Daisy O'Clee or Lucy Handford (contact details below) by 12pm on Tuesday 25 October.

For more information, contact Daisy O'Clee on 020 7593 2053 / 07767 444 589 or Lucy Handford on 020 7593 2054 or email daisy.oclee@baaf.org.uk / lucy.handford@baaf.org.uk

The reception is hosted by BAAF and the GV Media Group Limited, publisher of Voice Newspaper, Weekly Gleaner and Young Voices.