Private Fostering

What the law says about private fostering:

1. Your child is privately fostered - if she/he is under 16 years of age (18 years of age if the child has a disability), and is living with someone who is not a close relative, e.g. a grandparent, aunt or step parent, for longer than 28 days.

2. You must inform Social Services:

• as soon as possible after making an arrangement for your child to live with a private foster carer
• within 48 hours, if the arrangement is made in an emergency
• when the child leaves the private foster carer

It is an offence not to notify Social Services - Don't risk a fine!

3.   Social Services must:

• Make an assessment of the needs of the child, and consider whether there is any help that should be provided
• Check that private foster carers are suitable people to care for children, and that the accommodation where children will be cared for is adequate.
• Decide whether the private fostering arrangements are satisfactory and can go ahead.
• Visit private foster children regularly, to ensure that they are safe and are receiving satisfactory care.

Some important reasons why Social Services should be involved

1. Most children do not like living away from their parents for any length of time, and can become anxious and unsettled.
2. You may think that you know the person who is going to care for your child well, but Social Services have access to information, e.g. from police and other records which is not available to a parent.
3. Taking on the care of someone else's child is not often straightforward. Misunderstandings and conflicts can easily arise, even between friends.
4. Fostering a child is always a big responsibility. It is important that the carer has good understanding of your child's needs, particularly if they are of a different race, culture or religion, or your child has other special needs.

Social Services will work in partnership with you and the private foster carer to ensure that the best arrangements are in place for the child.

Private Foster Carers must also inform Social Services about any child they are fostering, or intend to foster, privately, and tell us when the child leaves their home.

Your responsibilities as a parent

Your responsibilities whilst your child lives with a Private Foster Carer:

• Parental Responsibility for the child remains with you. This means that although the private foster carer takes on the every day care of your child, you continue to have overall responsibility for your child's welfare.
• Important decisions about the child, e.g. consent for medical treatment or changing the child's school, or moving the child to another carer cannot be made without your agreement.
• You continue to be responsible for the financial support of your child including any maintenance.

It is important that you keep in regular contact with your child and his/her carers.

You must keep Social Services informed of your whereabouts.

What next?

• Social Services will arrange for a social worker to visit you and talk about your child's needs and the proposed fostering arrangements.
• The Social Worker will also visit the person who is fostering, or intends to foster your child, to gather information about everyone in the household and inspect the accommodation. Everyone over 16 years, will be checked for criminal convictions with the police.
• The social worker will write a report about the arrangements, and a Senior Manager will decide whether the placement should go ahead, and whether any restrictions and/or requirements should be made e.g. limiting the number of children that the carer can foster, or that particular safety measures are taken in the home.

If you would like to discuss these or any of the services mentioned in more detail, please visit anyone of our 14 Customer Service Centres.