Fostering in Portsmouth
If you live in Portsmouth, you could change the lives of children and young people by becoming a foster carer. Children come into care for lots of different reasons, such as internal family conflicts and long term illness. Unfortunately, the most common reason is neglect or abuse. TACT are recruiting foster carers in Portsmouth to provide caring and safe homes to these children, to enable them to recover from what might have been a traumatic time for them. If this sounds like something that you could do, you could join our Fostering Portsmouth Team!
Jump to a section
Can I foster in Portsmouth?
You don’t need any previous experience to start fostering in Portsmouth. To proceed with an application, you would need to meet this initial criteria:
- To be over 21 years old (there is no upper age limit)
- To have at least one spare bedroom
- To be a full-time resident in the UK or have indefinite leave to remain
You would also need the time and flexibility to dedicate yourself to fostering. Good written and spoken English is essential, as you would be required to work with other professionals, and provide written records detailing the progress of any young people in your care.
Full Training
No previous experience or training is needed to become a foster carer.
We offer comprehensive training to ensure you’re fully prepared to care for children in your home. Our training options are available in person or online.
The initial training, called Skills to Foster, is completed online as part of the foster carer assessment process. This brief course provides an introduction to fostering and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions.
Once you’re approved as a foster carer with TACT, you’ll have access to a full training program designed to enhance your skills, allowing you to support and make a positive difference in the lives of more children and young people in the Portsmouth area.
We also offer specialised training to help you care for children with specific needs or requirements.
24/7 Support
To truly make a difference in children’s lives, continuous support is crucial. We reinvest any surplus income into strengthening the support we offer to our fostering families, ensuring you always have access to the help you need.
Once you’re approved as a TACT foster carer, you’ll be assigned your own Supervising Social Worker. Our Supervising Social Workers manage smaller caseloads, allowing them to dedicate more time to you. With the right support, we believe you’ll be better equipped to provide the care and guidance that can make a lasting impact on children’s lives.
This is what we provide:
- Full 24/7 support. While your Supervising Social Worker typically provides most of your support, our out-of-hours service ensures that help and advice is available whenever you need it.
- Foster carer portal. This online platform is a hub for TACT foster carers, giving you easy access to information, advice, training, and resources to support you in your role.
- Education service. A dedicated service offering guidance and support to ensure the children in your care have access to the best educational opportunities.
- Health service. We closely monitor the physical and mental health of the children in your care to ensure their well-being.
- Support groups. Local support groups in Portsmouth and surrounding areas provide a space for you to meet other carers and share experiences.
- Support for young people. Our Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners offer additional support, activities, and events for the children in your care in Portsmouth.
- Supporting your own children. We understand the importance of your own children in the fostering household. Our Children Who Foster events allow your children to connect with others who are also involved in fostering.
- Peer support. Occasionally, peer-to-peer support is available, pairing new foster carers with experienced TACT carers for additional guidance and support.
Pay & Allowances
Foster carers are dedicated professionals, and our fees and allowances are carefully structured to acknowledge the essential role they play.
In partnership with Portsmouth City Council, we receive funding to support the care of children and young people in the area. This funding is used to deliver our services and provide support to our committed foster carers. The allowance you receive will be determined by factors such as the type of care you provide, the number of children in your care, their ages, and the complexity of their needs.
There are also 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).
Below, you can find examples of the weekly Fostering Portsmouth payments you could receive when a young person is placed in your care:
Meet The Area Manager
“I have always worked with children from 0-18 years in a variety of settings including the NHS, Local Authorities, and small Charitable organisations. TACT’s ethos is putting the child at the centre and that resonates with me – making TACT a charity I am proud to be a part of.”
Christine McGillvary – TACT Area Manager London & The South
Christine is truly passionate about making a difference to children’s lives. She manages our great team of social workers that cover the South Coast – ensuring that our team of foster parents are fully supported. Christine has over 19 years’ experience in fostering, specifically within the charitable sector.
Rated ‘Good’ By Ofsted
Following an inspection in January 2022, Ofsted have announced that TACT London & the South has been rated ‘Good’ for its work with foster carers and looked after children.
“The fostering service provides a good quality of care, and the experiences and outcomes for children are very positive. Children, many of whom have complex needs, receive personalised care that meets their needs, and they are kept safe.” – Ofsted, 2022
What Our Foster Carers Say
“After much research we decided to apply to foster through TACT based on the level of support it provided, its community feel and charitable status. We like that TACT’s focus is exclusively on the children and their carers.”
Natalie and Terri – TACT Foster Carers since 2018
Fostering Information Events
- January 9, 2025
- Hampshire, London,
- Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Hampshire Fostering Information Event
TACT London & The South are hosting a Fostering Information Session at Emsworth Baptist Church on Thursday 9th January between 10am – 12.30pm.
- April 11, 2025
- London
- Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Hammersmith Fostering Information Event
TACT London are hosting a Fostering Information Session at RCNI London West Nursing Careers & Jobs Fair on Friday 11th April 2025 between 9.30am – 4pm.
Start Your Fostering Journey
