THURROCK Council has issued an alert to anyone who is looking after a child on behalf of a friend or family member that they may need to let the council know and be entitled to a range of support.

A series of virtual private fostering workshops will take place in the coming months, offering advice and guidance to members of the public, volunteers and professionals.

Cllr James Halden, Cabinet Member for Children's and Adult Social Care, said: "People sometimes don't realise that if they are caring for a child under the age of 16, or 18 if disabled, away from their home, and they are not a parent or close relative that this is private fostering.

"If you are in that situation, our workshops are a fantastic opportunity to learn key skills for working with children and ensure that all those cared for as part of a private fostering arrangement are both known to the council and kept safe.

"By making our private fostering workshops virtual we can continue to safely provide those who think they may be in a private fostering situation with the advice and support they need."

Workshops will be hosted on Microsoft Teams and will be available on the following dates:

Friday 18 September 2020 – 10am to 12 noon

Friday 11 December 2020 – 10am to 12 noon

For more information and to book your place on the free workshop, email [email protected] with the names of who will be attending. You will then receive details of the meeting and how to join closer to the event.