What is private fostering?

If a child aged under 16 (or under 18 if they are disabled) goes to stay with people who are not related to them for 28 days or more, this is known as 'private fostering' and special rules apply. The law says that local authorities must be told about all private fostering arrangements.

What defines a private foster carer?

A member of the child’s extended family, such as a cousin or great aunt, can be designated as a private foster carer, but a person who is a relative under the Children Act 1989, i.e. a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether of full blood or half blood or by marriage) or step-parent will not be a private foster carer.

Examples of private foster situations include:

• local children living apart from their families / adolescents and teenagers
• African and African Caribbean children with parents or families overseas
• black and minority ethnic children with parents working or studying in the UK
• asylum seekers and refugees
• trafficked children
• children attending language schools living with host families
• children at independent boarding schools who do not return home for holidays
• children living with host families for a variety of reasons
• children brought in from abroad with a view to adoption.

What must I do if I intend to foster a child privately?

The law requires that you tell your local council at least six weeks beforehand that you intend to privately foster a child, or, if the child arrives suddenly, no more than 48 hours after they have arrived.

Make sure the child's parents tell you as much as possible about the child, including:

• health records
• eating preferences
• school records
• hobbies
• religion
• ethnic or cultural background.

This will help you to understand the child and take better care of them.

How to notify us of a private fostering arrangement

If you think you might be privately fostering someone’s child, please contact us at least six weeks before the arrangement is due to start.

If you have started looking after a child in an emergency, contact us within 48 hours of the child’s arrival (Mon-Thursday 9-5pm, Friday 9-4pm) on:

Northern Assessment Team
(Witney, Carterton, Banbury, Biscester)
Tel: 01865 816670
Fax: 08456 054187
SHC_CF_AssessmentTeamBanburyDuty@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Central Assessment Team
(Barton, Headington, Florence Park etc)
Tel: 01865 323048
Fax: 01865 783307
cfassessment.dutycity@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Southern Assessment Team
(Abingdon)
Tel: 01865 897983
Fax: 01865 783385
C&FAssessment.Duty@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Assessing private fostering arrangements

We have a duty make sure that private fostering arrangements are satisfactory. We are required to visit the child in the private foster home and assess of the suitability and safety of the home placement.

When you have notified us about an arrangement, a social worker will arrange to visit you and the child in your home and to meet other members of the household.

We will create a written report. You will be asked to provide two references and fill in police check forms. Provided the assessment is satisfactory, the social worker will visit at six weekly intervals in the first year, and three monthly intervals in the second and onwards until the child reaches 16.

What help and support am I entitled to while fostering?

Private foster carers are entitled to certain welfare benefits, as well as comprehensive advice, support and training. Responsibility for overall cost of the placement rests with the parent.

You may be able to claim social security benefits such as Child Benefit and possibly Income Support (or Job Seekers Allowance if you already receive Child Benefit). Contact your local benefits agency office who will be able to advise you.

What if the child is leaving my care?

You must tell us if a child is leaving your care. You must also say why the child is leaving and give the name and address of the person who will be looking after them

Information for health, education and social care professionals

To help us safeguard children in private fostering arrangements, we rely on other childcare professionals’ awareness of new legislation and their awareness about children’s living arrangements.

As many private foster carers are not even aware of the ‘need to notify’, we rely on other professionals passing this information on to colleagues, parents and carers, and actively identifying arrangements.

Further information

For general advice and queries contact us.

• Is your child in good hands? (pdf format, 643 KB)
• Do you look after someone else's child? (pdf format, 236 KB)
• A children's guide to Private Fostering (pdf format, 810 KB)
• Private Fostering Policy (pdf format, 101 KB)
  Statement of purpose policy and procedures
• Notification of intention to undertake a private fostering arrangement as a private foster carer (pdf format, 36 KB)
• Notification of intention by birth parent to place a child in a private fostering arrangement (pdf format, 25 KB)
• Notification of end of placement (pdf format, 23 KB)