Member News: Together Trust were delighted to receive a ‘Good’ rating following a recent Ofsted inspection.

Fostering staff at Together Trust, a Cheadle-based charity, were delighted to receive a ‘Good’ rating following a recent Ofsted inspection.

The charity, which supports young people, adults and families across the North West, has been running its fostering service for over 20 years. They also provide care for children and young people through their residential homes and short-break services.

The Ofsted report heaped praised on the charity’s foster carers, emphasising the positive relationships they have built with the children in their care. It stated: ‘Children live in nurturing, safe and stimulating homes. They enjoy loving, reliable and trusting relationships with their foster carers. They develop a strong sense of belonging and very much feel part of the family.’

‘A child said, “My foster carers have been amazing and given me the childhood I never had. They are kind, caring and treat me like their actual son, as part of their family.”’ Ofsted report

The report went on to commend the charity’s management team for their devotion to ensuring the best outcomes for both foster carers and the children in their care. It noted the ‘inspirational’ and ‘forward-thinking’ approach of the service’s team, as well as their ‘ambitions and high aspirations for every child’.

Despite the positive outcome of the inspection, Ian Uttridge, Head of Children and Family Services at Together Trust, spoke of some of the challenges facing the charity. 

Ian said: “Together Trust’s fostering service receives hundreds of referrals a month for children and young people in need of stable homes. But unfortunately the number of people coming forward as potential foster carers continues to drop. 

“We want people from all walks of life to consider becoming foster carers, if not now then in the future. There are lots of myths and misconceptions around fostering, what’s involved and the young people in foster care. We’d urge anyone who is passionate about making a difference to children and young people’s lives to get in touch with our team for an informal chat.”

You can find out more about fostering with Together Trust by visiting https://www.togethertrust.org.uk/be-foster-carer
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