Are you:

• Asking someone else to look after your child full-time for more than 28 days?
• Thinking of looking after someone else's child full-time, or already doing so for more than 28 days and are not closely related to the child?

If so

• You are making a private fostering arrangement
• Parents and private foster carers are LEGALLY REQUIRED TO NOTIFY US BEFORE such an arrangement begins. Many still don't know this and it means we are unable to make sure the child's welfare is safeguarded
• The local authority must check that private foster carers are suitable people to do the job and with their permission will carry out checks with people such as the police and their GP. We will also check the accommodation is safe and suitable
• Professionals in the education, health and social care fields need to help us by ensuring they are proactive in identifying and notifying us of private fostering arrangements that they may become aware of
• If you know a child aged under 16 (or 18 if they are disabled) who is being privately fostered and you think we are unaware of them, please encourage the parent or carer to notify us. If you believe this will not be done please contact us yourself

You can notify us by telephoning the South Gloucestershire Children & Young People Information Service on 01454 868008.