Private Fostering Awareness Day 2025: Hear from carers, young people, and practitioners
Remember remember the 5th of November – yes, it’s bonfire night but first, it’s CoramBAAF’s Private Fostering Awareness Day. Private fostering is when a child lives with someone who is not a close relative (as defined in the Children Act 1989) for more than 28 days, up until they are 16 years old (or 18 if disabled). We know that often parents, private foster carers and those working with children aren’t always aware that they need to notify the local authority of a private fostering arrangement.
Every year, CoramBAAF produces materials for raising awareness about private fostering, including posters, fact cards and social media templates. We know that many local authorities will be holding their own events to raise awareness on Wednesday. We will also be holding a Breakfast briefing - an introduction to private fostering - that is an open access event particularly relevant for those new to private fostering, working in social care, education, health, housing, community and faith groups. The recording for this event will be available 14 days after the event.
Our second event of the day a Lunch & Learn session from 12.30pm – 2pm (places still available) - will focus on the experiences of private foster carers, hearing directly from them as well as hearing the perspectives of young people who have been living in a private fostering arrangement. The voices of private foster carers are powerful and highlight some of the challenges that are involved in becoming a private foster carer. Local authority practitioners will also share their knowledge and experience of private fostering and common themes that arise.
There will also be the opportunity to be the first to hear the key results from this year’s private fostering survey before the report is published this afternoon (5 November 2025).
We also suggest that you take a look at the new CoramBAAF’s Kinship Community of Practice, supporting local authority managers with responsibility for developing the kinship local offer, which needs to include private fostering as private fostering is included in the definition of kinship as set out in Kinship care: statutory guidance for local authorities.
We look forward to seeing you at our events, or see that you’re sharing our resources, and raising awareness within your local area!
Clare Seth, Kinship Consultant, CoramBAAF.