Children we look after

Sometimes families can no longer care for their children and we work with families to provide alternatives to their care for a time or permanently, for example foster care, residential care, or adoption. This may be by agreement or sometimes because a court has said so.

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Children and young people have different needs and we offer a range of services to support a child in our care. These may be provided by the county council or we may purchase the service from charities or private companies. 

If you have made a private arrangement (without the involvement of the local authority) to care for someone else's child or your child to live with someone else you must let us know. There are special rules − there is more information in our section on private fostering. 

Independent Reviewing Officers make sure that parents are consulted about their children's care regularly. Children are also consulted regularly − for more information see our section on children's wishes and feelings.