Whether you are new to the idea of fostering, or have been considering it for a while, we have all the information you need to start making a difference to young people’s lives in Telford.

How do I start fostering in Telford?

No qualifications are necessary to become a foster carer in Telford, as full and ongoing training will be provided. However, some experience of caring for children is preferable. Plus, as we are a charity, we reinvest surplus income into providing more training for our fostering households.

To become a foster carer and to join our Fostering Telford team, 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 have satisfied all three points above, we would like to talk to you more about fostering. You can complete the enquiry form on this page 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 Telford 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.

Working closely with Telford & Wrekin Council enables us to help provide nurturing and caring foster homes. We are a charity, so we do not ‘profit’ from foster care. Instead, we reinvest to provide more support and training for our Fostering Telford team.

This reinvestment 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.

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“We are very glad we took the time to do a lot of research to find the best agency because we feel very lucky to have found TACT. The fact that TACT is a charity appealed to us and our TACT social workers, as well as the wider team, have been brilliant.”

– TACT Foster Carer

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We cover a wide area in and around Telford, including Wellington, Hadley, Trench and Ironbridge.

We have a great team of staff within the Telford area. Michelle Patterson, our area manager for the West Midlands, is truly passionate about making a difference to children’s lives. She manages our great team of social workers in the area – ensuring that our team of foster carers are fully supported. Michelle has been with TACT for over 12 years’, and has previously worked for other not-for-profit fostering agencies.

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

Telford Fostering allowance

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

Our fostering service in Telford is funded by Telford & Wrekin Council. As a charity, we allocate these funds to purely keep our fostering service running. Part of this funding is 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.

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:

 

Full training

As previously stated, you don’t require any previous training to make a fostering application, however some experience of caring for children would be advantageous. Our full training programme will ensure that you are fully prepared to care for children in your home.

The first training course you will undertake is called Skills To Foster, which is taken within the initial foster carer assessment period. Our Skills To Foster course will provide an insight into foster care, and will help you decide if fostering is the right path for you.

Once approved, you will then be allocated a full training programme to further your skills. This will provide you with the tools 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

24/7 support is essential. When you begin fostering for us, you will be allocated your own Supervising Social Worker who will provide the day-to-day support you require. For piece of mind, we also have a dedicated out-of-hours support service. We also reinvest surplus income into providing 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 Telford 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 Telford.
• 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 Telford, 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.

If you already have young people placed with you, then the best interests of the child(ren) will always 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 Telford today, and change a child’s life. Simply fill in the form on this page to get started!