A consultation launched by the Department for Education today states that the annual return on private fostering, which councils are required to submit on a yearly basis by law, is “little used by local authorities and has limited application nationally”.
The government said it will continue to collect data through the existing annual children in need census.
“In doing so, our intention is to continue to ensure that privately fostered children are given the protection and support they are entitled to through a better understanding of such children in harmful arrangements,” the consultation document states.
The move follows a recommendation by Ofsted in January last year that the way data is collected on private fostering arrangements be overhauled.
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