Private fostering is a private arrangement made between a parent and a responsible adult for the care of a child under the age of 16 (under 18 if disabled). The person who will be looking after the child is not a parent or close relative of the child, and the arrangement is planned to last for at least 28 days. As defined by the Children Act 1989, a close relative is a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, a stepparent (including through civil partnership) or a brother or sister.
CoramBAAF would like to support a better understanding of this often hidden group of children. Therefore, we launched a Private Fostering Survey in July 2024, as a first attempt to gather some basic data about the national picture from our members.
