In Bolton, there are some children and young people who cannot be looked after by their own parents. It could be because of internal conflicts within the family, or a parent or guardian may have a long-term illness. Sadly, it could also be because they have experienced some form of neglect, or even abuse. TACT are currently recruiting foster parents in Bolton in order to provide loving homes for these young people.

You don’t need any childcare qualifications, or even any experience. The initial criteria for becoming a foster carer is to have at least one spare bedroom in your home, a caring and nurturing disposition – and energy to provide a child with a secure and loving home. If you feel that this could be something you could do, you could join our Fostering Bolton team!

TACT North West carer Karen, from Greater Manchester, discusses below why she chose to foster with TACT and what she loves about being a foster carer.

Why foster in Bolton with TACT?

TACT is the UK’s largest dedicated fostering charity – enabling us to provide care for children on a national level. We reinvest any surplus income into providing more support and training for foster carers interested in fostering.

As one of the leading fostering agencies in Bolton, we work closely with Bolton Council to ensure that we match children and young people to our fantastic team of foster carers in the area. Our Fostering Bolton team of carers are provided with training and support that is local to them – to enable them to change young people’s lives. Because we reinvest surplus income, the additional support that we can provide to our foster carers in Bolton is over and above what is required of a fostering charity. This includes a dedicated education service, health service and an online foster carer portal that contains useful resources and information.

We’re more than just a fostering agency – we go above and beyond to look after our foster carers and the children they provide care for. Our TACT Connect service ensures that when children leave the care system, they have TACT’s support for life.

This is why 98% of our carers would recommend us to others thinking of fostering.

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“TACT were recommended to us by a friend who had previously fostered with them. The staff at TACT have been very knowledgeable and always willing to help, and our children have always been made aware that this support is available to them as well.”

– TACT Foster Carer (North West)

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We cover a wide area around Bolton, including Darcy Lever, Burnden, Breightmet, Halliwell – and many other areas in the region.

We have a great team of staff within the Bolton area. Jon Broadhurst, our area manager for the area, is truly passionate about making a difference to children’s lives. He manages our great team of social workers – ensuring that our team of foster parents are fully supported. Jon has over 28 years’ experience in social work, with 17 years’ experience specifically in the charitable sector.

We provide our foster parents in Bolton with full training, 24/7 support and a generous fostering allowance:

Bolton fostering allowances

Foster carers are highly skilled people, and our fees and allowances reflect this.

Our services are funded by Bolton Council, and we work closely with them to ensure that their funding is properly invested in both our foster carers and the general service we provide.

If you join our Fostering Bolton team, the total fostering allowance that you receive will vary based on a number of factors. It could be the type of foster care that you provide, as well as the number of young people that you provide care for. The complexity of children’s needs is also an important factor.

Our Bolton foster carers also receive additional payments for children’s birthdays, holidays and religious festivals. Additionally, we also pay long service awards and a Refer a Friend fee (if you recommend someone who then goes on to be an approved foster carer with us).

Here are some examples of the weekly allowances you could expect to receive in the Bolton area when you have a young person placed with you:

 

Full training

You don’t need any previous experience or training to become a foster carer. Our full training will ensure that you are fully prepared to care for children in your home.

Our initial training is called Skills To Foster, and is taken within the foster carer assessment period. You are then allocated a full training programme to further your skills – helping you care for, and make a difference to, more children and young people. Whilst our Skills To Foster course is delivered remotely via video conferencing, there are many face-to-face opportunities for training within the Bolton and North West area.

We even provide specialist training in order to help you care for children with specific needs or requirements.

24/7 support

24/7 support is essential in order to ensure that our foster carers continue to provide a high level of care to young people. This is why we reinvest surplus income into providing more support for our fostering families. Our Fostering Bolton team of carers are allocated their own Supervising Social Worker who will support them throughout their fostering journey and beyond. Our social workers have manageable workloads, so that they are able to dedicate more time to you. The better we support you, the better you will be able to provide the guidance and care required to change young people’s lives.

Specifically, we provide the following:

• Full 24/7 support. Your Supervising Social Worker will usually provide all the support you require, but our dedicated out-of-hours support service will provide peace of mind.
• Foster carer portal. A place to find information, advice, training and other resources to help you with your day-to-day life as a foster carer.
• Education service. Our specialist service provides support and advice to help ensure that the children in your care receive the best possible educational opportunities.
• Health service. Our unique health service was established to monitor the physical and mental health of young people in your care.
• Support groups. Our support groups operate all over the North West, and will provide you with a local outlet to meet other carers in Bolton and surrounding areas, giving you the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge. You may even make some new friends!
• Support for young people. Our Children’s Resource Workers provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events local to Bolton and surrounding areas.
• Supporting your own children. We understand that your own children play an important role in the fostering household. As such, our Children Who Foster events in Bolton and surrounding areas will provide your children with an opportunity to socialise with other young people who make an amazing contribution to fostering.
• Peer support. In some areas, peer-to-peer support may be available. These work by pairing newly approved foster carers with experienced TACT carers to provide another level of support.

Transferring to TACT

There are a number of reasons why people who are already approved foster carers in Bolton may look to transfer from their local authority or agency. We are always looking for new foster carers in the Bolton area, so if you currently foster, we can provide a ‘fast track’ application process to ensure that the transfer to us is straightforward and stress-free.

You can transfer to us with children already in placement. We would need to ensure that the wellbeing of the child comes first in all situations, as stability and consistency of care is essential.

Why not find out more about transferring to us? Simply select ‘I am currently a foster carer’ on the form located on this page. We will then be able to talk you through the process in more detail.

A fostering charity that goes above and beyond…

• Our foster carer perks include a number of exclusive memberships and special offers – many of which are available via our Foster Carer Portal.
• Our TACT Connect service ensures that our care leavers continue to receive help, support and guidance even after they have officially left our care.
• We advocate for young people, actively campaigning in order to instigate positive change within the care system.

Start your Fostering Bolton journey today, and change a child’s life. Simply fill in the form on this page to get started!