Fostering means looking after a child who cannot live with their biological parents, either for a short period or for the longer-term. Foster carers act as ‘substitute’ parents, and they come from all walks of life, just as our children in care do.

You could foster if:

• you are a homeowner or renting
• you are religious, or not
• you are white, or a person of colour
• you are able-bodied, or disabled
• you are straight or LGBT+
• you are single, cohabiting, or married
• you are working full-time, part-time, or receiving benefits
• and whatever your educational background

As you can see, there’s no ‘perfect’ person that we look for to join our fostering family here at Bexley. Many children in care lack the positive family experience that most children have, but all it takes is one foster carer to make a big difference in their lives.

We are interested in what you have to offer a child, rather than your marital status, ethnicity, sexuality, religious belief or whether you own a house or not. Having a pet will not prevent you from becoming a foster parent either.

Private fostering is when a child under the age of 16 (18 if disabled) lives with someone not a close relative for 28 days or more.

Immediate relatives include a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling or step-parent. But if you're any other relative (even a cousin or great aunt), a friend of the family or someone who doesn't know the family well but wants to help, give us a call. It's very different from the care of children formally provided by local councils through approved foster carers.

Privately fostered children and young people may:

• have parents living or working abroad
• be sent to the UK to study at state or language schools
• live with another family because they have problems at home
• be estranged from their own family
• be at independent schools and not returning home during school holidays

The law

The Council has a legal duty to ensure that children and young people in this situation are safe and properly cared for. Under the Children Act, you must tell the Council if you are entering into a private fostering arrangement.

We need to know if you are:

• the parent or carer of the child being privately fostered
• the person privately fostering someone else's child
• a professional working with the child or family
• a member of the public who notices suspected private fostering

You should tell the Council immediately by calling us at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 020 3045 5440. The opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.