Information for professionals working with children and young people

The council must be notified 6 weeks in advance of a private fostering arrangement or immediately if the child or young person is already privately fostered.

We will then undertake the necessary checks and investigations to safeguard the welfare of the child or young person.

Notify the council of private fostering

Examples of private fostering

A child or young person:

• is sent to the UK for education or health care by their birth parents from another country
• has birth parents who are from another country and work or study long, anti-social hours
• is living with a friend's family, as a result of parental separation, divorce or arguments at home
• is living with their partner's family
• attending language schools
• attending an independent boarding school and does not return home during the holidays.