Fostering in Dorset

In Dorset, there are many children and young people who desperately need safe and caring homes – because they are unable to live with their own families. Family conflict may be the reason for this, or even an illness. However, the most common reason why children come into care is because of neglect or abuse. TACT are recruiting foster carers in Dorset to provide safe and caring homes to these children, enabling them to rebuild their lives and move towards independence when they become young adults.

No previous childcare experience is required to start fostering in Dorset, as full and ongoing training will be provided. To start the application process, you just need at least one spare bedroom in your home, a caring and nurturing character – and lots of energy to provide a child with a secure and loving home. If this sounds like something that you could do, you could join our Fostering Dorset Team!

Meet Our Team

We have a great team of staff within the Dorset area. Christine McGillvary, our area manager for the region, 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.

We cover all the major areas in and around Dorset. Some examples of the areas we cover are: Dorchester, Wareham, Blandford, Swanage, Weymouth – and many more areas in the region.

Hear from our foster carers in Dorset

Upcoming events in Dorset

Christine looks after our fostering dorset team

Why Foster in Dorset with TACT?

TACT is the UK’s largest dedicated fostering charity enabling us to provide care for children on a national level. We reinvest any surplus income into providing more support and training for our team of foster carers.

TACT works closely with Dorset Council in order to ensure that young people are matched to the right TACT foster carer. We have a great team of carers in Dorset and surrounding areas, and we provide local training and support to our foster carers. Because we reinvest surplus income, we can provide additional support over and above what is required of a fostering charity, such as a dedicated education service, health service and an online foster carer portal that provides key information, advice and resources.

Were more than just a fostering agency – we go above and beyond to look after our foster carers and the children they provide care for. Our TACT Connect service ensures that when children leave the care system, they have TACT’s support for life.

This is why 98% of our carers would recommend us to others thinking of fostering.

Ofsted Rating

24/7 Support

Fostering Allowances

Rated As ‘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

Read the Latest Report

24/7 Support

Reinvesting surplus income into providing more support for our Fostering Dorset team is essential. When you become a TACT foster carer, you will be allocated a Supervising Social Worker who will provide most of your everyday support.

Our social workers have manageable workloads, so that they are able to dedicate more time to you.

At TACT, we also have an out-of-hours service where you can access help and guidance when you most need it. The better our support, the most equipped you will be to change children’s lives.

This is a breakdown of the support we offer:

Full 24/7 support. Provided by your allocated Supervising Social Worker and our dedicated out-of-hours support service.
Foster carer portal. When you join our Fostering Dorset team, you will have access to our carer portal. Access information, advice, training and other resources to help you with your day-to-day life as a foster carer.

Education service. Providing advice and support to help ensure that the children in your care receive the best possible educational opportunities.
Health service. Our health service was established in order to provide the children in your care with physical and mental health monitoring.
Support groups. Our support groups operate in Dorset and the surrounding areas. They provide foster carers with an opportunity to meet other carers in the area, share knowledge and experiences, and maybe even make some new friends!
Support for young people. We provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events local to Dorset, via our Children’s Resource Workers.
Supporting your own children. If you have your own children, our Children Who Foster events in Dorset will provide your children with an opportunity to mix and socialise with other young people who make an amazing contribution to fostering.
Peer support. In some circumstances, peer-to-peer support may be available. These work by pairing newly approved foster carers in the Dorset area with experienced TACT carers to provide another level of support.

Explore more reasons why to choose TACT…

Fostering Allowance Dorset

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

Our funding in the area comes directly from Dorset Council. This funding is used to support our foster carers and the service that we provide. As part of our Fostering Dorset team, the total fostering fees and allowances that you receive will vary. The type of foster care you are provide, plus the number of children that you care for and their age will be important factors in determining the total fee. Also, the young people you care for may have some additional needs.

We also pay our Fostering Dorset team additional payments for children’s birthdays, holidays and religious festivals. In addition to your fostering allowance, 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 Dorset payments you could expect to receive when you have a young person placed with you:

View Our Fostering Allowances

Hear From Our Foster Carers in Dorset

“She is the most beautiful part of my life.”

Sharntel, a TACT foster carer since 2015, cares for a 10-year-old girl with epilepsy and autism. Despite the challenges, Sharntel finds immense joy in their journey, celebrating small victories like eating independently. Her foster daughter has become the most beautiful part of her life and inspired her advocacy for children with disabilities.

“Both our children see him as their big brother”

Having children of your own shouldn’t prevent you from fostering. As long as you are matched carefully with a child, it can really benefit both your own children and the children you foster to have other children around.

“I love watching the way that she has developed and grown in confidence”

There is no doubt that fostering, while challenging, is also extremely rewarding. I love watching the way that our foster daughter has developed and grown in confidence. I am very proud that she has completed her college course and secured an apprenticeship.