A charity has praised the Government’s announcement of a package of reforms backed by £88m in funding.

Fair Ways has welcomed the Government’s pledge to increase the number of foster carers across England, calling it an “important step towards ensuring more children can access stable, family-based care.”

The Government has revealed a package of reforms, backed by £88m in funding, aimed at "recruiting thousands of new carers, broadening eligibility, removing barriers to fostering, and improving support for existing foster families".

The charity, which provides fostering services across Hampshire and the surrounding counties, has lauded the Government's commitment and its focus "on strengthening fostering provision and improving outcomes for children in care".

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​We are delighted to share some important news from UCAS that will make it easier for care-experienced young people to access higher and further education. From the 2027 application cycle onwards, UCAS will extend its application fee waiver to include care leavers up to age 26, removing a financial barrier that many face when applying to university or college.

This change builds on the success of the existing fee waiver for students who have received free school meals, which supported more than 40,000 applicants last year. By expanding the scheme to care leavers, UCAS aims to support more young people transitioning from care to take the next step in their education, ensuring that cost does not prevent them from applying.

Care leavers often experience additional barriers when planning their futures, including a lack of family support and financial resources.

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The UK government has announced a new package of reforms aimed at tackling the ongoing decline in foster carer numbers across England and increasing the availability of loving, stable homes for children in care.  

The initiative is backed by £88 million in funding, aiming to recruit thousands of new foster carers, remove outdated barriers to fostering, broaden eligibility and improve support for existing carers. 

At Fair Ways, fostering lies at the heart of who we are. Since 2002 we have been providing high-quality fostering services across Hampshire and surrounding counties. Helping children to feel safe, supported and loved through life’s most challenging moments. As a charity, we reinvest into services to improve outcomes for children in care, and our fostering service is underpinned by expert, trauma-informed support.  

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We’re incredibly proud to share that Fair Ways has won Community Project of the Year at the Action Hampshire Changemakers Awards, in recognition of our Fostering Friendly Employers campaign. The award also celebrates the leadership of our Managing Director, Gareth Webb, who led the project from its inception.

The Fostering Friendly Employers campaign has brought together 116 local employers, helping to make Portsmouth the UK’s first Fostering Friendly city. The initiative encourages employers to offer meaningful, practical workplace support to foster carers, enabling them to balance employment with the vital role they play in caring for children and young people.

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Fair Ways have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Registered Manager to join our fantastic fostering team. In this role you will ensure that a minimum Ofsted grading of Good is maintained at all times through the provision of quality care, within which the health, welfare, education and development of the children is promoted ensuring that foster carers, children and young people are offered the highest quality of support.

Working in the role of Registered Manager you will be involved in a range of exciting and engaging things like:

• Managerial and Regulatory Responsibility - To fulfil the requirements of the ‘Registered Manager’ role as set out in the Fostering Regulations, National Minimum Standards and safeguarding requirements and to adhere to Fair Ways Policies and Procedures to ensure the highest quality of care is delivered to those we care for.
• Leadership and Supervision - To provide strong leadership and high-quality supervision to your direct reports and conduct appraisals in line with the organisaional appraisals process promoting a positive culture, professional standards, and effective teamwork ensuring a secure, skilled and supported workforce.
• Supporting and retaining Foster Carers - Design, implement, and oversee tailored care packages and support for foster carers that young people receive a service that is tailored to their needs. Develop strategies to maximise foster carer retention, supporting foster carers and embedding a culture where they are valued and listened to, ensuring stability and continuity of care for those we support.
• Budget Management - To ensure that the service is sustainable, budgets and targets are met and that the service is appropriately resourced at all times. To lead on the development, implementation and continued review of strategic and operational plans, policies and procedures for the ongoing delivery and development of provision in line with the charities organisational planning and strategic growth.
• Occupancy and Matching - To apply professional judgment and appropriate assessment of risk deciding on the appropriateness of placements and referrals, supporting the stability of foster placements, working proactively to ensure that children are afforded opportunities and experiences that will allow them to thrive.

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​Fair Ways is proud to celebrate the incredible success of this year’s Care Leavers Appeal, which has reached its biggest milestone yet. Thanks to the generosity and community spirit of supporters across Hampshire, we have packed 180 bags, our highest total to date.

This marks a powerful increase from last year’s 110 bags, and more than double the 60–70 bags collected in our first year. Each bag represents a small act of kindness that will make a meaningful difference to a young person stepping into independence this Christmas.

Many care leavers face the painful reality of packing their belongings into plastic bin bags when moving on from care. As advocates against this practice, Fair Ways proudly upholds its commitment that no child will ever leave one of our services with their belongings in a black plastic bin bag.

This year, we were once again supported by the incredible team at Madlug, an award-winning bag brand that helps give dignity to children in care. Their ethos “Because no child should carry their life in a bin bag”, perfectly mirrors our own mission, and we are deeply grateful for their continued partnership.

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Portsmouth City Council has joined forces with Fair Ways in a new partnership, designed to broaden support for foster carers and increase awareness of the vital role they play in the lives of children and young people.

Fair Ways, which launched the Fostering Friendly Employer Charter in March 2025, has led the way in championing awareness of supporting existing and potential foster carers within the workplace. The initiative promotes flexible, understanding, and compassionate employment policies that help foster carers balance their vital role at home with their careers.

After launching the charter in Portsmouth, Fair Ways successfully already encouraged 100 local businesses to sign up, resulting in Portsmouth becoming the first officially recognised Fostering Friendly City in the UK.

By partnering with Fair Ways, Portsmouth City Council’s fostering service Foster Portsmouth, aims to build on this momentum, bringing additional resources, visibility and reach to the initiative. Together, both organisations will work to grow the number of fostering-friendly employers, encourage more residents to explore fostering and create a wider network of support for existing foster families in Portsmouth and surrounding areas.

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​Fair Ways are looking to recruit a supervising social worker to join our dedicated and supportive fostering team. Fair Ways fostering team is a relatively small team with Social Workers overseeing smaller caseloads. This allows for relationship-based work, with Social Workers being available and able to respond quickly when needed. As a result, we are confident that our service maintains a family centred approach to ensure that our foster families remain at the heart of our work.

As a Supervising Social Worker you will be responsible for:

• Providing dedicated supervision and support - To supervise and support foster families, utilising and developing the foster carers’ skills and experiences, identifying and supporting areas for professional development both individually and as a group.
• Undertaking fair and detailed assessments - To carry out fostering and parenting assessments as and when required, adhering to the respective role specifications for each. To present completed fostering assessments to Fair Ways Independent Fostering Panels.
• Ensuring accurate Reporting and Recording - To maintain and organise case records, write reports as directed by line manager and maintain effective, regular communication with outside agencies regarding own caseload, ensuring all relevant parties are kept up to date of important developments.
• Undertaking visits and providing quality supervision - To carry out monitoring visits with young people and supervisions of all carers on caseload within required timeframes in order to ensure that you are aware of their individual needs and are able to recognise any signs or indications of any potential harm the child may be experiencing.
• Being a Trauma Informed professional - Using our industry recognised RiiSE training to deliver trauma informed responses through the individualised use of therapeutic interventions and demonstrate an understanding of the young peoples’ early life experiences and that such experiences may result in, or contribute to, severe challenging behaviour.
• Advocating for children in care and ensuring they have a voice - To use a range of different methods when working directly with young people to ascertain their wishes and feelings in respect of all plans relating to them, encouraging them to be involved in the planning process as appropriate.
• Multi Agency working - To attend and contribute to reviews and care planning meetings, supporting the foster carers and placement of young people placed in the company, and where necessary acting as advocate for young people and their families
• Proving Duty and On-call support - To carry out the role of Duty Social Worker at least one day per week, and have the ability and willingness to be part of emergency out of hours on-call service and to work additional hours when deemed to be necessary by the needs and demands of the post, including weekends and evenings, to ensure the quality of service remains at its highest.

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Last month, Portsmouth’s iconic Spinnaker Tower was lit-up blue in a powerful display of solidarity with young people leaving the care system, as part of National Care Leavers Month.

The illumination, organised by Fair Ways, took place at 5:15 PM and marks Portsmouth’s contribution to a growing national movement celebrating and supporting care-experienced young people.

National Care Leavers Month is a dedicated time to recognise the resilience, achievements, and aspirations of individuals transitioning out of care, while highlighting the unique challenges they continue to face during adulthood. The campaign calls on communities, organisations, and public figures to champion care leavers and demonstrate that they are valued, supported, and never alone.

A small group of local care leavers joined the evening as the tower lit up, symbolising hope, visibility, and community pride. The evening started with Spinnaker Tower being illuminated blue, followed by a tour of the landmark and dinner.

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Fair Ways is proud to announce a major milestone for Portsmouth; Portsmouth has officially become the UK’s first Fostering Friendly City.

In just over six months, companies across Portsmouth have shown their commitment by joining the Fair Ways Fostering Friendly Employer Charter to support foster carers in the workplace.

Together with over 100 local businesses, we’ve built a community that truly understands and values the vital role foster carers play.

A Proud Moment for Portsmouth
Becoming the UK’s first Fostering Friendly City is a major achievement for everyone involved. It reflects Portsmouth’s strong sense of community, compassion, and collaboration, values that sit at the heart of Fair Ways.

“This is a proud moment for Portsmouth,” said Gareth Webb, Managing Director of Fair Ways. “Becoming the UK’s first Fostering Friendly City shows what can be achieved when businesses and the community come together to support children and those who care for them. Foster carers make an enormous contribution to society, and we’re thrilled that Portsmouth is leading the way in recognising and supporting them.”

Together with over 100 Fostering Friendly Employers, Portsmouth is now setting a national example, showing how cities can stand with carers and create workplaces that are flexible, understanding, and supportive.

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