Private Fostering

Newbold Church School understands its duty to safeguard and protect children – this includes private fostering arrangements. In line with ‘Keeping children safe in education’, we will ensure that staff understand their responsibilities to privately fostered children and are aware of who to contact with a concern over a child in private foster care.

Private fostering is when a child under the age of 16, or under 18, if the child is disabled, is provided with care and accommodation for 28 days or more by a person who is not a parent, person with parental responsibility or a relative in their own home. It is not considered private fostering if the arrangements have been in place for less than 28 days and the person(s) providing care does not intend to do so for longer.

Governors, the SLT and staff will be made aware that it is a legal requirement for the LA to be notified that a child is being privately fostered by those who are involved, directly or indirectly, in setting up this arrangement so it can assess the suitability of the private foster carer, including visits every 90 days to ensure the child remains safe. This legal responsibility to notify the LA will usually fall on the child’s parents and the private foster carer(s) who will be caring for the child.

Where private fostering arrangements come to the attention of the school, and the school is not involved in the arrangements, the governing board will notify the LA to allow it to check the arrangement is suitable and safe for the child.

The government considers privately fostered children to be potentially vulnerable due to having been separated from their parents, and it is vital that governors, the SLT and staff are aware where a pupil is privately fostered to ensure that adequate support and early help can be offered, where applicable.

Parental responsibility refers to all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authorities that a parent has by law in relation to a child, as defined by section 3 of The Children Act 1989.

NCS Private Fostering Policy can be found by clicking here. 

Important information from Derbyshire County Council about Private Fostering can be found here

Updated October 2024