Kinship

Private fostering is when a child under 16 (or under 18 if they are disabled) is living with someone who is not a close relative for 28 days or more.

This might be a friend, a great aunt, a cousin or someone else known to the child. A close relative is defined as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or step-parent by marriage.

Many parents who have arranged for someone else to care for their child don’t realise that they have entered into a private fostering arrangement.

By law, parents and carers must notify their local authority if they have a private fostering arrangement in place. This is to keep vulnerable children safe and support families.

More information about private fostering

Private foster carers have access to dedicated support from the team and also can access wider kinship resources via the Kinship care charity for England and Wales website.