This October we celebrate Children of Foster Carers month and the vital contributions that the birth children of foster carers make to the fostering household. Growing up with looked-after siblings can have a positive influence on birth children and vice versa, especially when parents are well-supported. Sandra, a TACT Foster Carer believes fostering had a good effect on her birth children and taking the time to prepare them and explain things helped. One of Sandra’s daughters said, “Being part of a fostering household opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone has a good home, so where we have one, we should open it to young people in less fortunate positions”. Karen, a TACT Cymru carer said, “It helps that all my birth children are really happy for me and are super supportive. I thoroughly recommend being a foster carer”. Hannah, another TACT Foster Carer believes that having children should not prevent anyone from fostering, and that a careful matching process is key to helping foster children fit into the household well. TACT is committed to looking very closely at matching to ensure a successful match. While sharing the experiences of her birth children, Hannah said, “We found TACT to be very open minded about who can foster, and they explained that it would be a case of carefully matching a child with our household, who would thrive alongside our own children. We began fostering when our son was three and our daughter was two. Our first long-term placement was a 12-year-old boy. There were some concerns about how our son would react to having someone else move in, as well as how our new foster son would manage alongside a sibling with additional needs. However, we need not have worried as they very quickly formed a very special bond. Both our children now view him as their big brother, and fostering has only been a positive thing for them”. If you are considering fostering and have birth children, read our blog dispelling myths around this. During the rest of the month, keep an eye out on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts for heart-warming snippets. Source: https://www.tactcare.org.uk While Black History Month (BHM) pulls focus on the contributions of black or ethnic minority people on the UK’s socio-economic and cultural landscape, for TACT it equally calls for an assessment of the present state of fostering for foster carers, as well as children and young people from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds. The 2021/22 national statistics on fostering in England reports 82% of foster carers come from white versus 18% from ethnic minority groups. This highlights a gap when considered against 25% of looked after children coming from ethnic minority backgrounds. More needs to be done at government level to increase the number of foster carers from BAME communities to better meet the diverse needs of young people. It is also crucial that the barriers to fostering faced by people from BAME communities are identified and suitable measures put in place. Equally we must address the opportunities and recognise the abilities individuals possess in their backgrounds. Culturally, black and ethnic minority communities often share the care of family members in need. Therefore, the skills to fostering are not only within their abilities but lived experience. Sandra’s experience of looking after her 6 week old nephew at age 16, was the springboard that forged a fruitful career in childcare and social work, which has led to becoming a TACT foster carer. This legacy of caring for the children continues through her own daughters, who work for the benefit of children. No foster carer is the same. Yasmin, a TACT foster carer specialising in the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) says “It’s very important for our own community to help these children by keeping them in their cultural environment. My family practices the Muslim faith and while I’ve looked after children of different nationalities, they have all been Muslim. That’s not to say, they wanted to practice with us, but I believe it’s better to have the information than not”. In the DfE’s 2021 guidance, ethnic origin and culture are amongst the protected characteristics that ‘contribute to a child’s sense of identity, as well as feelings of belonging and acceptance by family, peer group and wider society, including other cultural groups’. It is widely acknowledged that placing children or young people with foster carers of an ethnically or culturally similar background encourages cultural socialisation and lowers the levels of uncertainty already experienced by the transition into care. It is evident from the statistics that we need more foster carers from BAME backgrounds to meet the needs of children. However, while there is a shortage, transracial placements can be successful with research* evidencing the positive outcomes for children, where cultural identity development is respected. Ali, a TACT carer and former teacher with trauma and interventions training, makes Sudanese dishes and has been learning Arabic for over a year to thoughtfully support the UASC teenager in her care, saying, “I think that helps him know that I am trying to connect with him”. In future proofing an inclusive foster care system, it is crucial that we encourage adults from BAME communities to consider fostering by investing in more deeply understanding and effectively addressing barriers faced. A level of accountability must be built into the care system to ensure the needs of young people from BAME backgrounds are heard and met. By creating opportunities that attract future foster carers, with awareness of the diverse nature in which caring abilities form across backgrounds, ultimately we equip young people in care to thrive and have the choices that help form their identities. Find more information here on fostering with TACT and here on Black History Month. *Parents’ Ethnic–Racial Socialization Practices: A Review of Research and Directions for Future Studya Source: www.tactcare.org.uk/news Location: Homebased - working with our teams across England Salary: £50,250 per annum + Homeworking Allowance of £750 per annum Hours: 35 per week Closing Date: 15/10/2023 Interview Date: 30/10/2023 Occasional travel may be required.
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. TACT invests all surplus income into staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to establish expert in-house support services such as our TACT Health and Education Services and create TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care experienced young people and adults. New staff will join us as we embark on a journey to become a wholly trauma-informed organisation with the aim of increasing our effectiveness and improving outcomes for the children and young people in our care. We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. We will also invest in your learning, supporting you to grow and develop during your employment with TACT. You will be encouraged to attend personal and professional development opportunities and will have access to learning and resources to empower you to advance your knowledge and skills. We are currently the 4th Best Charity to work for and the 16th Best Mid-Sized Company in the UK according to The Best Companies criteria and our survey results have evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst staff in recent years. You can view our Best Companies summary video here. We are looking for a new Head of Health to develop and lead our health service to improve outcomes for the children we care for. The Head of Health will lead a service that provides expert advice and support on matters related to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children we care for. The service works primarily with our foster carers and social work staff to give them the skills to access and provide appropriate support for our children and young people, develop good relationships with health professionals and to advocate directly with health services when necessary. There may also be a need to occasionally undertake individual children’s case work. The post holder will also develop and manage a commissioning and quality assurance framework for external health services that are purchased by TACT. The role will contribute to workforce planning and the professional development of TACT staff and carers. The post holder will lead on the integration of the Health Support Service systems into those of the wider organisation where this is required. This is an opportunity to build and develop the service going forward, feeding into the aims and objectives of TACTS’s 5-year strategic plan. The successful candidate must have worked at a senior managerial level in a children’s mental health service and have a relevant degree and a post-graduate qualification in children and adolescent mental health. They will have experience of commissioning health services for children and young people and ensuring that those services meet the specifications and outcomes required. TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. Please see the Job Information Pack, Job Description and TACT website at Tactcare.org.uk for more detailed information. Closing Date: Midnight on Sunday 15th October 2023 Interview Date: Monday 30th October 2023 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here In response to yesterday’s announcement of the closure of Children England, a collective body of children’s charities founded in the second world war, TACT CEO Andy Elvin, said; “The building blocks of our civil society are being deliberately dismantled and the extremely regrettable closure of Children England is the latest example of this. “A system that allows private equity investors to excessively profit from children’s social care but cannot fund organisations that protect and speak up for these children is profoundly broken.” As the UK’s largest dedicated fostering charity, TACT continues to forge ahead in the achievement of better lives for children and young people – an ethos that underpins the reinvestment of any surplus back into foster homes as well as the expansion of services to further support foster carers. Read more in the Independent. Source: https://www.tactcare.org.uk/news Location: Liverpool Salary: From £14,580 per annum + £450 per annum homeworking allowance Hours: 21 hours per week - Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday Closing Date: 09/10/2023 Interview Date: 19/10/2023 Location: Homebased – North West (Liverpool, Manchester, The Wirral, Bolton, Oldham, Salford, Wigan and Tameside)
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. TACT invests all surplus income into staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to establish expert in-house support services such as our TACT Health and Education Services and create TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care experienced young people and adults. New staff will join us as we embark on a journey to become a wholly trauma-informed organisation with the aim of increasing our effectiveness and improving outcomes for the children and young people in our care. We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. We will also invest in your learning, supporting you to grow and develop during your employment with TACT. You will be encouraged to attend personal and professional development opportunities and will have access to learning and resources to empower you to advance your knowledge and skills. We are currently the 4th Best Charity to work for and the 16th Best Mid-Sized Company in the UK according to The Best Companies criteria and our survey results have evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst staff in recent years. You can view our Best Companies summary video here. We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and highly-motivated individual with experience in administration within the social care field to work with us as a Family Finding Worker. This role is homebased and it will cover placements for our North West areas (Liverpool, Manchester, The Wirral, Bolton, Oldham, Salford, Wigan and Tameside). Applicants within a reasonable distance from these areas will be considered. The Family Finding Worker is responsible for receiving placement requests for children who need to be looked after and matching them to our foster carer in cooperation with the Duty Social Worker. The role requires exceptional communication skills and discretion, sensitivity and the capability to deal with conflicting priorities at times. In this role, you will be responsible for:
You will be suited to this role if you have:
Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. A standard DBS clearance is required for this role, which TACT will undertake on your behalf. Closing Date: Monday 9th October 2023 Interview Date: Thursday 19th October 2023 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here TACT celebrated its 30th anniversary last week, with employees from across Scotland, England and Wales taking part in a milestone event in Manchester. Founded in 1993, the charity’s origins lie in the attic of the New Eltham home where, in 1989 founder Jim Armstrong, established the agency MJ Associates to meet the demand from local authorities facing the unrelenting shortage of suitable homes for children in care. And it all started with placing a young person of 16 years with a foster carer living right across the street. Ten years later, TACT had 30 employees and offices in Bristol, Wales and the East Midlands. From those humble beginnings TACT has grown into the UK’s largest fostering charity, with five successful mergers spanning five years and over 6000 children cared for by its dedicated foster carers. Currently, TACT has 128 foster carer households have fostered with TACT for over 10 years. In 2018, TACT Connect, a community to support our care experienced young people, was launched. Shortly followed by the launch of the Education service in 2019. Jim Armstrong said, “I am incredibly proud that TACT is doing so well, I could not have imagined it becoming so big, but it still has the founding ethics and goals at its heart.” TACT’s charitable status has continued to be central to the founding belief that children are not for profit. This has ensured that any surplus income can be reinvested into the organisation to help meet the needs of children in care, while providing high-quality, child-centred fostering services to the growing number of fostering households – over 1600 since 1993. As celebrations were underway, CEO Andy Elvin said, “It is fantastic to be here in Manchester paying tribute to our founders, Trustees, foster carers and staff whose incredible commitment and efforts make it possible for the children and care experienced young people at the centre of what we do and, in fact, at the centre of celebrations like this, to create their own legacies“. Today TACT continues to sit at the forefront of creating better lives for children, young people, and care experienced adults, as it makes major strides towards becoming a trauma informed organisation. Source: https://www.tactcare.org.uk/news/ Location: Homebased with travel to Yorkshire & North East Salary: £40,500 per annum + £1,500 OOH per annum + £750 Home Working Allowance per annum Hours: 35 Hours Per Week Closing Date: 09/10/2023 Interview Date: 17/10/2023 Location – Home-based with travel principally within West and South Yorkshire but may be required throughout the whole region, covering all of Yorkshire, the North East and North Lincolnshire
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and looks to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We know that we cannot provide exceptional levels of care without our staff which is why we prioritise their wellbeing. We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive well-being programme, and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. TACT is a foster care charity that invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest in unique projects like TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care-experienced young people and adults, our expanding TACT Education Service, and our newly established Health Service. It is not surprising that in October 2021 the Times 100 Best Companies Survey evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst our staff and that we are currently listed as 16th in the UK’s Best Mid-Sized Companies across all industries and the 4th Best Charity to work for in 2022. Come and join us and be part of our amazing team of professionals whose vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here. The TACT Yorkshire & North East Team have a unique opportunity for an experienced Senior Supervising Social Worker who is ready to progress their career or an experienced Fostering Manager who understands trauma and therapeutic parenting approaches. The Deputy Area Manager will assist and support the Registered Area Manager in the operational management of the Area Team with the delivery and development of the service to support a diverse range of foster carers and placements. Key responsibilities include:
In addition to the annual salary, the post holder will be paid £1,500 p.a. Out of Hours Allowance upon participation on the rota. TACT offers an excellent employee benefits package including:
An Enhanced DBS clearance is also required and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. Closing Date: Monday, 9th October 2023 Interview Date: Tuesday, 17th October 2023 (via Microsoft Teams) TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here The fostering service delivered by charity TACT’s West Midlands team, has been rated good by Ofsted. Inspectors praised the service, reporting that ‘Children make good progress from their starting points. This is because of the excellent care that they receive from their foster carers and the agency support network around them. Many of the children who live with their foster families have done so for many years. As a result, the children experience high levels of belonging and support that promote their welfare and emotional wellbeing.’ TACT CEO Andy Elvin said: “Well done to all in the TACT West Midlands team. We are of course pleased with the fantastic comments from the Ofsted Inspector. It is fair to say that those comments could equally apply to all TACT services across the UK”. A child told the inspector, ‘I feel listened to and I can speak openly and honestly.” Source: www.tactcare.org.uk/ Thursday, 10th August, marked the 15-year anniversary of TACT in Scotland, a remarkable milestone in the charity’s journey in creating better lives for children and young people in care. Around 130 carers, young people and staff from across TACT enjoyed a fantastic day at Blair Drummond Safari Park, on a warm and almost sunny day. Since TACT Scotland was established in 2008, over 1000 children and young people have received much needed care and support within safe, stable and loving homes provided by TACT foster carers. Chair of Trustees, Matthew Doyle and TACT CEO, Andy Elvin, were also present at the celebrations. In capturing highlights of the last 15 years, Andy acknowledged long serving staff and carers – with three sets of carers celebrating 10 years with TACT.
Andy said, “It is our wonderful foster carers and excellent staff who have created our outstanding Scottish service. We have led the way in creating permanence for many of the children and young people it has been our privilege to care for. We have also undertaken some superb work on keeping sibling groups together and championing this cause”. Area Manager Natasha Cartwright said, “Our carers and young people did us proud. They are wonderful ambassadors for the service, sharing their positive experiences of being part of the TACT family”. It was a fun-filled day with activities for the children and young people, including a Marvel themed play area, sports day activities, rugby coaching and temporary glitter tattoos. Young adults also had a chance to engage with the staff from TACT Connect, a network for continued support created for care-experienced young people from the age of 15 throughout adulthood. Reflecting on the day, Area Manager Natasha Cartwright said, “My lasting memory will be seeing members of carers’ birth families, our children and young people and members of staff’s families all coming together and enjoying a day of fun and laughter and building precious memories together that truly shows what it means to be part of the TACT family!” Source: www.tactcare.org.uk/ Location: Homebased with travel required to East Midlands area Salary: £40,500 per annum + £1,500 OOH per annum + £750 Home Working Allowance per annum Hours: 35 Hours Per Week Closing Date: 17/09/2023 Interview Date: 27/09/2023 Location – Home-based in one of these areas: Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, with travel required to visit foster families across the East Midlands area
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and looks to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We know that we cannot provide exceptional levels of care without our staff which is why we prioritise their wellbeing. We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive well-being programme, and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. TACT is a foster care charity that invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest in unique projects like TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care-experienced young people and adults, our expanding TACT Education Service, and our newly established Health Service. It is not surprising that in October 2021 the Times 100 Best Companies Survey evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst our staff and that we are currently listed as 16th in the UK’s Best Mid-Sized Companies across all industries and the 4th Best Charity to work for in 2022. Come and join us and be part of our amazing team of professionals whose vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here. The TACT East Midlands Team have a unique opportunity for an experienced Senior Supervising Social Worker who is ready to progress their career or an experienced Fostering Manager who understands trauma and therapeutic parenting approaches. The Deputy Area Manager will assist and support the Registered Area Manager in the operational management of the Area Team with the delivery and development of the service to support a diverse range of foster carers and placements. Key responsibilities include:
In addition to the annual salary, the post holder will be paid £1,500 p.a. Out of Hours Allowance upon participation on the rota. TACT offers an excellent employee benefits package including:
An Enhanced DBS clearance is also required and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. Closing Date: Sunday, 13th August 2023 Interview Date: Wednesday, 23rd August 2023 (via Microsoft Teams) TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here |
News & JobsNews stories and job vacancies from our member agencies, the fostering sector and the world of child protection and safeguarding as a whole. Browse Categories
All
|