SOMEBODY ELSE’S CHILD

Private fostering week

20th – 26th February 2012

Activity Pack

Contents

Introduction ……………………………………. p3

Media relations …………………………………p4

Community Relations ………………………….p6

Events……………………………………………p7

Internal Communications………………………p8

Evaluation ………………………………………p9

Introduction

Welcome to the Activity Pack for Private Fostering Week. This pack provides you with ideas to make the most of the private fostering week. We hope you find the ideas interesting and the templates prove useful.

Objectives: Our key objective for Private Fostering Week isto change the behaviour of professionals who work with children in identifying private fostering arrangements in the course of their work and reduce the number of children in un-notified private fostering arrangements’ in England.The DfE statistics on private fostering show an increase in children in Englandbeing reported as in private fostering arrangementsbetween 2010 and 2011[1]. We hope to keep the pressure on and continue to improve this.

While we encourage you to also focus on professionals, you may also choose to target the general public too.

Audience

This pack is intended to help you focus on increasing notifications primarily from professionals who work and come into professional contact with children. This will includeteachers, health professionals, the police, language schools and faith group leaders. What you chose to do locally will be entirely up to you, and the resources in this pack will help you target the general public should you wish to do so.

Media relations

This section will help you with generating media coverage should you wish to engage in this activity. You should clear all media work with your press office in advance.

Writing a news release

News releases are one of the main ways of communicating with the media. Within the appendix you will find a pro-forma release. If you would rather create your own, there are a few points you need to remember.

Dos

Do give it a short punchy headline

Do get your key message in the first paragraph

Do include 5 Ws – where, what, when, who, why and how

Do keep it short (1 page maximum)

Doinclude contact details so journalists can call for more information

Don’ts

Don’t use jargon, acronyms or flowery language

You might also want to think about including a quote from someone in your organisation. Think carefully about who this will be. If they are quoted in a release the media will assume they are happy to be interviewed further. If you are able to secure the support of e.g. your local MP, Director of Children’s Services, or Lead Memberfor Children’s Services you might also be able to include a quote from them. Remember to show them the whole release for their final sign off before it is sent out!

Contacting the media

Once you have written your news release your press office will send it to all the media in your area. Use your local knowledge or try the Yellow Pages. Obviously daily and weekly local newspapers are important, but don’t forget regional TV and radio too!

Giving interviews

As previously mentioned once you have sent out your news release you may get requests for further interviews. It is therefore important to decide in advance who your main spokesperson(s) will be.

It’s important to remember that the media work to different timetables than the rest of us and often have very short deadlines. Be prepared to do something at very short notice, and try and be flexible regarding timings.

There isn’t enough room in this small pack to give you a full briefing, however if you are asked to give an interview and you would like more advice, please feel free to call the BAAF press office on 020 7421 2632/33.

Writing a letter to editor

A quick and cheap way to make an impact is by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Often editors find it difficult to find enough letters to fill the page so yours will be gratefully received.

There is a template letter in the appendix, but if you wish to write your own consider these points:

  • Keep it short – 100 to 150 words at most (if you don’t, the editor will cut it down for you and may cut out some of your vital points)
  • Letters’ pages aren’t a free form of advertising – they have to raise an issue or provoke discussion
  • It must be relevant to the local community, so use local names and stats if you have them
  • Sometimes an editor might hold on to a letter for several weeks and print it in an edition that is short of letters, so don’t put a date on your letter. If you date it you’ll reduce the chance of the letter being printed.
  • If you have the support of a local MP put it in their name (you’ll have to ghost write it for them) and you’ll greatly increase the chances of it being picked up but remember to clear this with the MP!
  • Include your name, address at the bottom of the letter, and include a telephone number so they can contact you if they have any further questions for you.

You may also wish to have a look at the letters page of your local newspaper(s) to find out their style.

Community relations

Involve senior figures or VIPs/celebrities

Getting the support of your local MP(s)and Lead Member for Children and/or other councillors will be really useful, as would attracting interest from any local VIPs or celebrities. They can help with media relations, as we have already discussed, and they can also be really influential in getting other members of the community involved.

If you don’t know who your local MP is you can find out by going to This will give you full contact details, including where to address a letter to. To help you we have provided a template letter in the appendix. However you may want to personalise it, perhaps including local information or anything you know might appeal to your MP. They will take much more notice of someone from their own constituency so remember to clearly mark your address on the letter.

Direct marketing

There is a PDF of a poster you can download from the website. There is room at the bottom of this poster to add your local contact details. We ask you not to make any further amendments to this poster.

If this does not suit your purposes then you can create your own. The Somebody Else’s Child logo is also provided on the website to download to help you with this.

There are a variety of places you could use the poster, including making use of local library services through your internal networks.

Virtual schools

It is worth making contact with your local virtual head. They may be able to provide advice or contacts on how to get into schools and make an impact there. Reaching teachers is key to increasing notifications.

Your website

Have an article on the front page of your council’s website linking to your Private Fostering web page.

For professionals BAAF have a short video on private fostering is also available on Youtube and you can embed this in your web page or link to this for people to view if you wish. The video can be found at:

BAAF’s podcast on identifying private fostering arrangements is also available on Youtube at

Events

There are two types of events you could hold as part of the campaign. One is to get media attention, and the other is to engage with stakeholders.

Media events

You may wish to organise an event that will be of media interest. It could be a stunt of some kind or just a nice photo opportunity. For example you might want to give a visual representation to the estimated numbers of privately fostered children by lighting some fire lanterns, tying some (biodegradable) ribbons around a tree, planting some summer bulbs, or creating a giant paper chain of people.

These types of events are good for getting local schools and MPs involved in, which helps to spread the message and also increases your chance of media coverage. Remember that if you are taking pictures of people, especially children, you need to gain written consent beforehand. Speak to your press office to get advice on this.

Stakeholder engagement

Organise a workshop or even a more informal coffee morning, to get your key stakeholders together and talk to them about private fostering. Guests might include faith leaders, scout and guide leaders, head teachers, local police, community nurses and other health professionals.

Some events that people organised in previous years included:

  • Handing out flyers in a local market
  • Visiting local schools
  • Attending a Community Matters event
  • Workshops for stakeholders
  • Having a stall in a local shopping mall

Internal communications

Our private fostering secret shopper survey in 2011 revealed that a lot of people answering the main switchboard numbers at local authorities were uncertain where to direct people who wanted to notify. One local authority, when we explained a scenario that was clearly private fostering, told us we didn’t need to tell anyone at all!

Make sure your efforts don’t go to waste by making sure everyone at your local council knows about the initiatives planned for private fostering week, and knows what to do if someone phones up. Here are some methods of communication you might use:

  • Get something in the staff newsletter before and after the campaign
  • Use your staff intranet or Chief Executive’s blog (if they have one)
  • Send an all staff email (check with your IT department first)
  • Ask your IT department to put a message on the log-in confirmation screen
  • Put a poster up on a staff noticeboard (maybe in the canteen or staffroom)
  • Get something about private fostering printed on people’s payslips

Don’t let your colleagues lose a notification through lack of communication!

Evaluation

Evaluation is an important part of anyinitiative. It helps us assess what works and what doesn’t work. You will probably want to collect numbers of notifications, enquiries and how you felt the week went. So think about how you will collect notifications data for the week and the immediate period after the week and how you can use this to inform future planning.
Appendix 1 – News release

News

For immediate release: [date]

Somebody else’s child – everybody’s responsibility

[Name] Council are urging people in [area] to help them ensure the safety and well-being of children who are being cared for by someone who is not a direct relative.

The call to action is part of an initiative called Somebody Else’s Child, which is run by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering. It aims to reduce the number of children in un-notified private fostering arrangements’ in England.

Private fostering describes an arrangement when someone, who is not a close relative1, cares for another person’s child for 28 days or more2. Although this is done by private arrangement, legally the parent and the carer must notify the local authority where the child is going to live so that the local authority can ensure that the child is being properly looked after. Nobody knows exactly how many children are privately fostered, but in 2001 the Department of Health estimated that there could be as many as 10,000 in England and Wales. It is feared that some of these ‘invisible’ children could be at risk of abuse, or victims of trafficking.

In the year to March 2011there were2,332notifications of private fostering arrangements in England. However experts believe there could be many more. The Council is particularly asking people who work with children to be awareof private fostering and notify them immediately if they suspect such an arrangement. They say the general public also has a part to play.

[Name] from [Name] Council said: “Everybody has a role in keeping our children safe - whether you are a teacher, youth worker, neighbour or just chat to the other mums at the school gate. If you hear about a child who is being privately fostered please let us know immediately so we can ensure the child is being kept safe.”

For more information on private fostering visit the Council’s website at [web link] or visit

Notes for editors

1.Direct relative is defined as step-parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether full blood, half blood or by marriage)

2.For more information contact [name] on [phone number] or email [email address].

Appendix 2 - Letter to editor

Dear Editor,

Thousands of children across the UKare being cared for today by someone who isn’t a close relative. This is known as private fostering and includes teenagers who’ve had a row with mum and dad and gone to live with a friend and children who because of family circumstances (illness, parents working away etc) are sent to live with friends or neighbours for a period. While many of these children will be fine, some could be at risk of abuse, and all need to be visible.

By law if you are privately fostering a child for more than 28 days you must notify your local council. We have signed up to an initiative called Somebody Else’s Child, run by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, to ensure everybody knows about private fostering. Help us keep children safe by spreading the word and notifying us if you know of a child who is being privately fostered.

Children’s safety is the responsibility of everyone.

Yours sincerely

[Name]

[Address]

For more information on private fostering visit

Appendix 3 - Letter to MP

Dear [Name],

I would like to invite you to lend your support to tackle a serious local issue.

Every year thousands of children are left in the care of people who are not a close relative for extended periods of time. These might be children sent to England for a better education, children in language schools, teenagers who’ve had a row with mum and dad and gone to live with a friend or children whose parents are in prison. Although this is done by private arrangement, legally the parent and the carer must notify the local authority where the child is going to live so that the local authority can ensure that the child is being properly looked after. Nobody knows exactly how many children are privately fostered, but in 2001 the Department of Health estimated that there could be as many as 10,000 in England and Wales. It is feared that some of these ‘invisible’ children could be at risk of abuse, or victims of trafficking.

From 20th– 26thFebruary2012 [your Local Authority] and other Local Authorities across Englandarerunning a Private Fostering Week to reduce the number of children in un-notified private fostering arrangements’ in England.

The initiative encourages people, especially those working directly with children, to tell us about any young people they believe to be in private fostering arrangements. We will be supporting the initiative at a local level and we would be delighted if you could join us to help raise awareness of this important issue.

The ways you could get involved include: [list three ways the MP could get involved with varying levels of time commitment – some examples are below]

  1. Come to an event we are holding with [target audience] at [venue] on [date]
  2. Provide us with a quote for our press release
  3. Put your name to a letter to the editors of our local press (which is attached)

We appreciate you are very busy but we hope our request will appeal to you. Even just an endorsement would make a big difference to ourwork on this initiative. If you wish to find out more, or have any questions, please feel free to call me on xxxx.

Yours sincerely

[Name]

[Address]

1

[1] DfE Statistical First Release – Private Fostering Arrangements in England: Year Ending 31st March 2011