If you are thinking of looking after someone else's child you should contact us before the child arrives. We can advise you and support you to plan the child's stay.
Tell us not less than 6 weeks before the proposed arrangement starts. If it is an emergency arrangement tell us immediately. You will need to complete our notification form PF1
The law requires us to make sure the child will be safe and the arrangement is in their best interest. This will involve a full assessment.
The assessment includes:
- Criminal records and health check for you.
- Similar checks for members of your household aged over 16.
- Making sure your home is safe.
- Making sure that you have all the information you need to care for the child.
- Making sure that the arrangement is for an agreed and limited time.
- Regularly visiting the child when they are living with you.
- An assessment is only about a particular arrangement. It is not an assessment of a your general suitability as a private foster carer.
You will need to:
- make sure that the child is happy, healthy and safe and that their needs are met.
- receive a reasonable payment to care for the child and meet their needs. The child's parents will have to make this payment. Payment is not a city council responsibility.
What Children and Young People's Services must do
It’s our duty to make sure the child is safe and well looked after. We work with and help both parents and private foster carers to make sure arrangements are right, legal and safe.
We have to make sure an arrangement is in the child’s best interest. When private fostering is agreed we do this by regularly visiting the child.
We may require changes to be made or things done differently. We'll do this if it's best for the child, but carers can appeal to a court if they think we are wrong.
If we think a private fostering arrangement isn’t suitable we can stop it.
For more information see the government's leaflet "Do you look after someone else's child?" which is available on the left.