Poor regulation of private fostering "leaves hundreds open to abuse": BBC

Hundreds of children are being left vulnerable to abuse because of the poor regulation of private fostering, an investigation for the BBC’s Newsnight has claimed.

According to the programme, which will show films on the issue tonight and tomorrow at 10.30 pm, councils believe there are 500 cases a year of abuse or neglect of privately fostered children.

However, international child protection agency Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) claimed that this figure is an under-estimate.

Research suggests that at least 10,000 children in Britain are growing up in informal fostering arrangements unknown to local authorities, the BBC said.

CFAB said about half the cases of abuse in private fostering involve children from abroad.

Andy Elvin, head of the network, said: “There are probably several hundred more of these a month going on that we just don’t know about.”

The Department for Education told the BBC that, following the scrapping of the Contactpoint database, ministers were exploring alternative ways to help key professionals support and protect the most vulnerable children.

“We are looking at what more can be done to increase considerably the numbers of privately fostered children who are known to local authorities,” the department added.

The Newsnight programme will highlight the case of Tunde Jaji, who was brought to London from Nigeria when he was five to live with a woman he called his aunt. He subsequently learned they were not related. Jaji, now 24, said he suffered physical and verbal abuse.