Privately Fostered Children
Private fostering arrangements can be a positive response from within the community to difficulties experienced by families. Nonetheless, privately fostered children remain a diverse and potentially vulnerable group.
The private foster carer becomes responsible for providing the day to day care of the child in a way which will promote and safeguard their welfare. Overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the privately fostered child remains with the parent or other person with parental responsibility.
A child privately fostered is where a private arrangement has been made for the care of the child by the child’s parent (or someone with parental responsibility without the involvement of a local authority or organisation). The child would be living with a carer who is not a close relative* on a full time basis for 28 days or more. Private fostering applies to children up to the age of 16, or 18 if the child is disabled.
*Close relative is defined as: grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt (whether full or half blood by marriage) or step parent (by marriage or civil partnership) of the child. Close relatives do not include great-aunts or uncles, great grandparents or cousins.
There are many reasons a child may be in a private fostering arrangement. These could include:
- A child living with a friend of their family because of separation, divorce or arguments at home.
- A teenager living with the family of a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- A child living with a school friend's family because of a family breakdown.
- A child needing to be cared for because their parent has a long-term illness and is unable to look after them.
- A child being sent to the United Kingdom by their parents who are living overseas, for education or healthcare reasons.
All private foster carers and other members of the household over 16 years old must consent to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Under current legislation, local authorities have a duty to check that all children who are living in private foster care arrangements are safe and well cared for. In the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, the responsibility for children living in private foster care arrangements within the borough is shared between the Children's Services teams in the Early Help and Safeguarding service (Achieving for Children).
Local authorities do not formally approve or register private foster carers.
It is the local authority in whose area the privately fostered child resides which has legal duties in respect of that child.
Any agency that becomes aware of a private fostering arrangement must immediately notify the local authority in writing of the arrangement and must inform the parent and private foster carer of their intention to do so.
If you suspect that a child is living in a private fostering arrangement or are not sure, please complete the Single Point of Access referral form. You will not be breaching confidentiality as the duty to inform us of your knowledge of a private arrangement is covered by the children in need information sharing protocol.
You can also contact the Single Point of Access for further information and advice on 01628 683150.
If you need to speak to someone urgently outside of office hours, please call the Emergency Duty Team on 01344 351999.
Other sources of information:
Private fostering: 'the potentially vulnerable children going under the radar of services' - Community Care
Children Act 1989: private fostering - GOV.UK
Private fostering | CoramBAAF
Royal Borough Windsor & Maidenhead Safeguarding Adults Children Partnership - Private Fostering (this website)