Are you doing someone a favour and caring for their child (who is under the age of 16 years or 18 years if disabled)?
Is your child living with another family?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes - then this is known as Private Fostering and you need to tell your local council.

About Private Fostering
From time to time children may go to live with another family for a little while. This could be for lots of reasons:

• A family crisis
• A parent being ill
• Teenagers living with the family of a boyfriend or girlfriend
• Children coming from abroad for education or health care
• Children living with a friends' family because their parents have separated or divorced or after an argument at home

Private Fostering is when a parent makes these sorts of arrangements for their child (who is under 16, or under 18 if they are disabled) to live with someone who isn't a close relative, for longer than 28 days.

The person who has been asked to look after the child is known as a Private Foster Carer.

It is now the law for anyone who is involved in or knows about a Private Fostering arrangement, to tell the local council about it.

To contact someone about a Private Fostering arrangement telephone 0191 566 1500 or email: childrens.services@sunderland.gov.uk or for further information download our leaflet ( 114kb).