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Private Fostering
Private fostering is the term used when a parent or guardian places a child, under school leaving age, in the care of someone else who is not a close relative or an approved foster carer, for a period of more than 28 days.
By law, we need to be told about private fostering arrangements. In Aberdeenshire you can do this by contacting the Chief Social Work Officer.
We have a responsibility to secure the welfare of all privately fostered children, so we need to carry out a number of checks. The most important aspect of private fostering is the safety and welfare of the child. These reports and checks are there so that our social work service can give parents or carers the advice and support they might need.
The Scottish Government has produced an information leaflet giving guidance on the local authority's responsibilities:
If you have any questions about the information contained in this leaflet please contact your local Children and Families Social Work Team.
- Carers' responsibilities
- Parents' and guardian's responsibilities
- Legislation
- Chief Social Work Officer contact details
Carers' responsibilities
Are you, or are you going to be, a private foster carer?
You might be a private foster carer without realising it. For example:
- Are you looking after a friend's child while they work away from home?
- Has a friend asked you to have a child for a few weeks until they sort out some personal problems?
- Have friends from abroad asked you to let their child stay with you while they attend school here?
If so, this is private fostering and you have a legal responsibility to inform us. There are many more examples and your social work service will be able to advise you if you are unsure.
If you are planning to take someone else's child into your care for more than 28 days, who is under 16 and not closely related to you, this is what you should do:
- At least two weeks before the placement begins you should write to the Chief Social Work Officer explaining what you intend to do.
- If the child is placed with you in an emergency, you must let our social work service know within seven days of the placement.
- If you change address while caring for the child, you must inform the social work service in the area you are moving from and the area you are moving to.
- If the child dies, or is removed from your care, you should inform the Chief Social Work Officer within 48 hours.
So, if you think that you might be, or are soon to be, a private foster carer please contact the Chief Social Work Officer. We can then help you make sure that the child is safe, happy and secure, no matter what their circumstances.
The Scottish Government has produced an information leaflet giving guidance for people who are caring for someone else's child:
If you have any questions about the information contained in this leaflet please contact your local Children and Families Social Work Team.
Parents' and guardians' responsibilities
If you are a parent or guardian and you intend placing a child under 16 in someone else's care, who is not a close relative or an approved foster carer, for more than 28 days, you need to:
- Write to the Chief Socal Work Officer at least two weeks before the placement begins you letting them know what you intend to do.
- Contact the Chief Social Work Officer within seven days if the child has been placed in someone else's care in an emergency.
Our social work service will ask for certain information in writing from you, including:
- where the child will be placed
- who will be responsible for their care, and
- any other information needed to make the required checks.
Legislation
The legislation governing the care of children in private fostering arrangements is there to protect the welfare of the child.
The rules relating to private arrangements for fostering children are set out in:
- the Foster Children (Scotland) Act 1984, and
- the Foster Children (Private Fostering) (Scotland) Regulations 1985.
These say that private foster carers have a duty to inform the local authority of the arrangement and the local authority has a duty to check that the arrangements are satisfactory and to monitor the placement. The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland is responsible for regulating local authorities' private foster care arrangements - under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.
Contact details
Chief Social Work Officer
Housing & Social Work
Aberdeenshire Council
Woodhill House
Westburn Road
Aberdeen
AB16 5GB
