A private fostering arrangement is one that is made privately (without the involvement of a local authority) for the care of a child under the age of 16 years (under 18 if disabled) with someone other than a parent or close relative, in their own home, with the intention that it should last for 28 days or more. It is not private fostering if the arrangement was made through social services.
It is not classed as a private fostering arrangement if the child is staying with a close relative (i.e., grandparents, older sister or brother, aunt or uncle)
Why we need to identify Private Fostering arrangements
Private foster carers / parents are legally required to notify the local authority. Many people are not aware of this requirement; if you know a child or young person is being privately fostered and you think the local authority is unaware, please notify us or support the parent / carer to do so.
If you know someone in a personal or professional capacity who is privately fostering or is about to, you should encourage them to notify Children’s Services and if they are not able to do so then you should take responsibility for notifying them.
Contact
Contact First Contact:
- by telephone on 03000 26 79 79
- by email at firstcontact@durham.gov.uk
More information
For more information about private fostering, you can view the Private Fostering pages on the Durham County Council website.
Resources
Please help support us in raising awareness about Private Fostering by downloading and sharing digitally, or download/print and share at venues in your own community.