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Private Fostering

Is your child/children living away from home? Are you looking after someone else’s child?

This is sometimes called Private fostering. Private fostering means:

  • The child/children are under 16 years old or under 18 years old with a disability
  • The adult caring for the child//children is not a close relative (parent, step-parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent)
  • The child/children are away from the home for more than 28 days

The law states you must inform Children’s Social Care if you know about any private fostering arrangements taking place. Walsall Council will be able to assist with forms and advise around financial arrangements, child benefits and support networks available.

(Private fostering doesn’t include when a child/children are looked after by a registered foster carer, which has been organised through the Council)

Please contact Walsall Council: 0300 555 2866.

If your child is being cared for by someone else, or if you are caring for someone’s child, you should be doing so as if they are your own child. This means you should:

  • Give regular meals
  • Make sure children are warm and have clean clothes
  • Make sure children go to school/college
  • Take children to doctor/hospital if they are unwell
  • Help children keep in touch with family
  • Help children follow religion and customs there are important to them.

We have created flyers about Private Fostering. Please see below electronic versions: