Private fostering: ‘the potentially vulnerable children going under the radar of services’

By Clare Seth, kinship care consultant, CoramBAAF
The tragic death of Victoria Climbié in 2000 marked a turning point for child protection in the UK. Eight-year-old Victoria was murdered by her great aunt and her partner, with whom she was living in a private fostering arrangement. Despite being known to several agencies, there was no monitoring of this arrangement.
The subsequent Laming Report prompted a strengthening of the legal framework around private fostering. However, we and