Fostering in Swansea may be something you have been considering for a while, or you may be new to the idea. Fostering can change young people’s lives – so no matter where you are on your journey, we have all the information you need.

There are many children in Swansea and surrounding areas that cannot be looked after by their own family. Reasons for this could be an illness, or family breakdowns. However in most cases, it is due to some form of neglect or abuse. TACT are recruiting foster carers in Swansea to provide nurturing care and support for these children. You could join our Fostering Swansea team!

Watch a short film made by some of our young people in Wales:

 

How do I start fostering in Swansea?

To start your fostering journey, you don’t need any prior qualifications. However we do ask for some experience of caring for children.

To begin a fostering application, we would just need to check some initial qualifying criteria.

You would need to:

• Be aged 21 years or over
• Have at least one spare bedroom in your home
• Be a full time resident of the UK

If you fulfil 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.

Why foster in Swansea 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 Swansea Council to help them provide fostering homes for vulnerable children. As a charity, we do not ‘profit’ from foster care, so we are able to reinvest surplus income into providing more training and additional support for our foster carers. For example, we have developed our own Education and Health Services. Additionally, our TACT Connect community ensures that when children 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 chose to foster with TACT because we had heard through another foster carer how good the charity was. We were welcomed by TACT with open arms and we have a fantastic working relationship with them.”

– TACT Cymru Foster Carer

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We provide our foster carers with full training, 24/7 support and a generous Swansea fostering allowance:

Swansea Fostering Allowance

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

The fostering allowance is made up of two elements:

• An allowance for each young person in your care: this covers outgoings such as food, clothing and travel for a young person.
• A foster carer fee: this is your carer ‘fee’, in recognition of your knowledge and skill and when caring for young people in your home.

The total allowance you will receive will depend the type of foster care you are providing, the number of children you are caring for (you receive a payment per young person), their age, and any additional needs.

There are also additional payments for children’s birthdays, holidays and religious festivals. 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

Full and ongoing training will be provided. The first course you will take is called Skills To Foster, and will be delivered early in the fostering application and assessment period. Designed to provide an overview of fostering, it will be attended by other applicants. There will be opportunities to ask questions, and share any thoughts and experiences. An existing TACT foster carer will also be present in the sessions – providing additional insight and knowledge.

If you go on to become an approved TACT foster carer, you will be allocated a full training programme to help you further your skills. This will enable you to care for more children with a variety of different needs.

24/7 support

We provide full 24/7 support for total peace of mind. Support will mainly be provided by your own Supervising Social Worker, but we also offer an out-of-hours support service – so there will always be someone on hand to help you.

Being properly supported as a foster carer is one of the most important factors in deciding on a fostering agency. This is why we provide additional platforms, some of which are unique to TACT. The better we support you, the better you will be able to provide the guidance and care required to make a difference to young people’s lives.

This is what we provide:

• Full 24/7 support. Provided by your Supervising Social Worker and our out-of-hours support service.
• Foster carer portal. An online information hub that provides advice and training to help with your day-to-day life as a foster carer.
• Education service. Ensures that all young people in your care receive the educational opportunities they are entitled to.
• 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 Swansea and the surrounding areas, and provide you with a local outlet to meet other carers in your area, share experiences and knowledge, and even make new friends!
• Support for young people. Our Children’s Resource Workers provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events.
• 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. 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 many reasons why current foster carers may wish to transfer from their local authority or agency. If you are currently a foster carer in Swansea, we can provide a ‘fast track’ application process to ensure that the transfer to us is straightforward and stress-free. You would also not be required to re-take the Skills To Foster course.

Transferring to us with young people already in placement is entirely possible, but we would just need to ensure that the wellbeing of the children come first. We would work closely with you and your existing fostering provider to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of care.

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 Swansea today, and change a child’s life. Simply fill in the form on this page to get started!