Campaigners urge councils to 'commission services from charities not the private sector'

A partnership of children’s care charities are calling on councils to commission fostering services from the voluntary and not for profit sectors rather than via private companies.

The campaign group Fairer Fostering Partnership (FFP) includes Action for Children, Barnardo’s and The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (TACT).

It has launched a social media push using the hashtag #forchildrennotprofit, to promote commissioning care using the charity sector, rather than commercial fostering firms.

The group says commercial fostering organisations are owned by private and venture capital companies that make “significant profits for shareholders”.
FFP believes that any profit from foster care should be re-invested into children’s services.

“Excessive profit has no place in the care of vulnerable children,” says the group.

“FFP members work purely for children, not for profit, and in a financially strapped sector funded by taxpayers helping thousands of vulnerable children in care, it is important that local authorities and foster cares are able to make an informed choice as to which fostering providers they work with.”

The Fairer Fostering Partnership believes that where a surplus is made, it should be re-invested into children’s services; and that excessive profit has no place in the care of vulnerable children. 2/2#forchildrennotprofit

Click link to find out more:https://t.co/EuVzTMjAUQ pic.twitter.com/PIkgDLf5cR
— Fairer Fostering (@FairerFostering) May 13, 2021

TACT chief executive and FFP chair Andy Elvin said: “All our members’ resources are invested in meeting the needs of vulnerable children and young people, and not in making a profit from them.

“This transparency and accountability are welcomed by local authorities and foster carers alike, but we need to continue promoting the message that excessive profits are being made by some agencies at a time when there is less money in the system. That clearly can’t be a good thing for children in care.”

Earlier this year Charity Times published its list of Top Charity Partnerships.