Here at TACT Scotland, we are looking for new foster carers in Aberdeen to provide caring, nurturing and supportive foster homes for vulnerable young people.

If you have been considering fostering for a while, are looking to transfer from your current agency or local authority, or are new to the idea of fostering – we have all the information you need to start your journey. You could join our Fostering Aberdeen team!

There are many different types of foster care that you can provide, and our enquiry officers will be able to talk you through the best options to suit you and your household.

How do I start fostering in Aberdeen?

Before making a fostering application, there some initial qualifying criteria to fulfil. You must:

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

No childcare qualifications are required, as full and ongoing training will be provided. However, some experience of caring for a child is preferable. As we are a charity, we reinvest surplus income into providing more training for our fostering households.

Join our Fostering Aberdeen team, and start changing the lives of young people in your local area. Simply complete the short form on this page to get started!

Meet some of our staff, and watch some of our foster carers talk about why they chose TACT Scotland:

 

Why foster in Aberdeen 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 closely with Aberdeen City Council to help support the need for caring and nurturing foster homes. As we are a charity, we do not ‘profit’ from foster care. Instead, we reinvest surplus income into providing more support and training for our Fostering Aberdeen team.

This reinvestment of income has enabled us to develop some unique additional support services, such as a dedicated Education Service, Health Service – and an online foster carer portal. Our TACT Connect service ensures that when children leave 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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“I would advise anyone who would like to make a difference in a child’s life to consider fostering with TACT. Their support throughout the last seven years has been second to none and we know they will always be there whenever we need them.”

– TACT Scotland Foster Carer

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We cover a wide area in and around Aberdeen, including Ferryhill, Broomhill, Northfield, Bucksburn and Kittybrewster.

We have a great team of staff who provide support to our foster carers in Aberdeen. Natasha Cartwright, our area manager for the area, started working for TACT in 2021. Prior to this, she had been a social worker for 26 years, as well as working in a local authority family placement team.

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

Aberdeen Fostering Allowances

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

The fostering allowance is made up of two elements:

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

The specific allowance you will receive will depend on 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 the complexity of their 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 Aberdeen fostering allowances you could expect to receive when you have a young person placed with you:

 

Full training

As mentioned previously, you do not need to have taken any previous training to start your fostering journey, as full and ongoing training will be provided.

A course called Skills To Foster will be the first training you will take. TACT offer this training early in the fostering application/assessment period, to enable applicants to evaluate their decision to foster.  Delivered remotely by one of our dedicated trainers, it is designed to provide an introduction to fostering.

Attended by other applicants, the course provides a valuable opportunity to share questions, 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

TACT provides all their foster carers with 24/7 support. You will be allocated your own Supervising Social Worker who will provide most of your day-to-day support. Our social workers have manageable workloads, enabling them to devote more time to you. Additionally, we provide 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 reinvest to provide additional support platforms, some of which are unique to TACT. We know that 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 Aberdeen 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 Aberdeen, 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 with children in placement is entirely possible, we would just need to ensure that the wellbeing of the young people 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.

The Promise Scotland

The Promise Scotland started back in 2016 when Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, made a commitment that Scotland “would come together and love its most vulnerable children and give them the childhood they deserve”. This led to an Independent Care Review, which was driven by those with experience of care and listening to the voices of over 5,500 children, young people and adults.

We are dedicated to #Keepthepromise to help continue to provide better lives for children and young people and ensure that every child and young person grows up feeling loved, safe and respected.

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