Fostering in Shropshire

Becoming a foster carer in Shropshire will help change the lives of children and young people. Whether you are new to the idea of fostering, or have been considering it for a while, we have all the information you need for you to start your journey.

How do I start fostering in Shropshire?

To start fostering in Shropshire, you don’t need any previous childcare qualifications as full and ongoing training will be provided. However, some experience of caring for children will be advantageous.

To begin your fostering journey, we would first need to check some initial qualifying criteria with you, which are:

To be aged 21 years or over
To have at least one spare bedroom in your home
To be a full time resident of the UK

If you fulfil all three points above, we would like to talk to you today about fostering. You can complete the enquiry form on this page today to get started.

Watch Samantha, one of our West Midlands foster carers, talk about what it is like to be a TACT foster carer:

Why foster in Shropshire with TACT?

TACT is the UK’s largest dedicated fostering charity. We have been providing nurturing and caring homes for vulnerable young people since 1993.

We work with Shropshire Council to help provide caring and nurturing foster homes. Our charitable status means that we can reinvest to provide more support and training for our Fostering Shropshire team. In particular, our work with Shropshire Council includes supporting their Stepping Stones initiative, whereby young people are gradually transitioned from residential care into fostering environments. Using a range of therapeutic approaches and support techniques, the transition is fully led by the young person.

The Shropshire Stepping Stones logo

Our reinvestment plan has enabled us to develop some unique additional services, over and above what a fostering organisation is required to provide. These include a dedicated Education Service, Health Service, and an online foster carer portal. Our TACT Connect community ensures that when young people leave our care, they have TACT’s support into adulthood and beyond.

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

“I like the charitable organisation and the consideration they show to the children and young people, as well as foster carers. I would happily recommend TACT to anyone that was thinking about fostering.”

– TACT Foster Carer

Shropshire Fostering allowance

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

The fostering service we provide in Shropshire is funded by Shropshire Council. Part of this funding is directly paid to our team of foster carers – the actual total of which is dependent on the type of fostering undertaken, the number of children cared for, their age and complexity of their needs. As mentioned before, surplus income is reinvested to provide additional training and supports – some of which is unique to TACT.

Our foster carers also receive additional payments for children’s birthdays, holidays and religious festivals. In addition to the fostering allowance, 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 when you have a young person placed with you:

These are our Fostering Shropshire fees

Full training

You don’t need any training to make a fostering application, however we do ask for some experience of caring for children. Our full training programme will ensure that you are fully prepared to care for children in your home.

You will take your first training course early in the foster carer application process. This training is called Skills To Foster, and is usually delivered remotely over two days. Our Skills To Foster course will provide an insight into foster care, and will help you decide if fostering is still the right path for you.

Once you become an approved foster carer, you will be allocated a full training programme to further your skills. This will provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to help you care for, and make a difference to, more children and young people. Some training will be delivered remotely, whilst other courses will be face-to-face.

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

24/7 support

We know that 24/7 support is not just essential – it’s also for peace of mind. When you begin fostering for us, you will be allocated your own Supervising Social Worker who will provide you with the day-to-day support you require. However, we also have a dedicated out-of-hours support service. We also provide some additional support networks for our fostering families. After all, the better we support you, the better you will be able to provide the care and guidance required to change children’s lives.

This is what we provide:

Full 24/7 support. Your Supervising Social Worker will provide day-to-day support, but we also have a dedicated out-of-hours support service for total peace of mind.
Foster carer portal. An online community of TACT foster carers and a place to find information, advice, training and other resources.
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 health service was established in order to provide young people in your care with ongoing physical and mental health monitoring.
Support groups. Our support groups operate in Shropshire and surrounding areas, providing you with a local outlet to meet other carers in your area, and share experiences and knowledge.
Support for young people. Our Engagement & Activity Practitioners provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events in Shropshire.
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 provide your own children with an opportunity to socialise with other young people who make an amazing contribution to fostering.
Peer support. Sometimes, 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

If you currently foster in Shropshire, and you are looking to transfer from your current fostering provider, we can provide a ‘fast track’ application process to ensure that the transfer to us is straightforward and stress-free.

Having young people already placed with you will not exclude you from transferring. We would just need to ensure that the best interests of the child(ren) come first to ensure stability and consistency of care. We would work closely with you and your existing fostering provider.

If you are interested in finding out more about transferring to us, simply select ‘I am currently a foster carer’ on our form. 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 journey in Shropshire today, and change a child’s life. Simply fill in the form on this page to get started!