Tell us about a private fostering arrangement

Private fostering is an arrangement between a parent and a carer. Often this is a friend or someone they know.

We’re not involved in making this arrangement, but legally you need to tell us about it.

Examples of private fostering

Private fostering is for children under 16 years old, or disabled children under 18 years old.

Examples of private fostering include:

children or young people live with a family friend when they can’t live with either parent
children in the UK for education or healthcare
looking after children of parents who work antisocial hours
children on extended holiday exchanges

Private fostering does not include when a child stays with a:

If you care for a child for less than 28 days, this is not considered private fostering.

It’s not private fostering if the carer is already an approved foster carer.

You need to tell us at least 6 weeks before fostering starts. If your arrangement starts sooner, you should tell us as soon as possible.

You’ll need to tell us:

When you tell us about a private fostering arrangement, we will:

Our guide explains how we manage and monitor private fostering arrangements to keep children safe.

It has information about our legal duties, assessment processes and the support available to families.