Private fostering

Private fostering is where a parent (or person with parental responsibility) arranges for the child to live with another person for 28 days or more, and the other person is not a relative. ‘Relative’ means mother, father, grandparent, brother, sister (or half-brother or half-sister), aunt or uncle (including by marriage). If the child’s parents have never married, it also includes any person who would be defined as a relative had the parents been married.1s21 Foster Children (Scotland) Act 1984 This type of fostering is governed by the Foster Children (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Foster Children (Private Fostering) (Scotland) Regulations 1985.

The information in this chapter does not apply to private fostering arrangements. If you are a foster carer in a private fostering arrangement, or if your child lives with a private foster carer, there are no special benefit or tax credit rules. This means that if you satisfy the conditions of entitlement for a benefit or tax credit (see Chapter 1), you are able to claim. See here, here and here for more information on the priority between potential claimants.

 

1     s21 Foster Children (Scotland) Act 1984 »