Fostering in Lewisham

There are many children and young people in Lewisham that really need urgent care and guidance because they cannot be looked after by their own families. There are a variety of reasons for this. It could be that there is a degree of internal conflict within the family home, and that children need to be temporarily removed while that conflict is resolved. It could also be due to an illness, meaning that parents or guardians are physically unable to meet the needs of their children. Unfortunately, it could also be because of abuse or neglect. TACT are recruiting foster carers in Lewisham to provide a safe and caring home to these children. We work closely with Lewisham children’s services to ensure that children are matched to our team of foster carers.

You don’t need any previous experience to start fostering in Lewisham, as full 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 Lewisham Fostering Team!

Meet Our Team

We have a great team of staff within the Lewisham area. Christine McGillvary, our area manager for the area, is truly passionate about making a difference to children’s lives. She manages our great team of social workers in London and the South East 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 a wide area around Lewisham, to help support Lewisham children’s services. These areas include Catford, Brockley, Blackheath, Hither Green – and many other areas in the region.

Hear from our foster carers in Lewisham

Upcoming events in Lewisham

Christine looks after our fostering lewisham team

Why Foster in Lewisham 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 foster carers interested in fostering.

As one of the leading fostering agencies in Lewisham, TACT work closely with Lewisham Council in order to help find foster homes for children and young people in the local area. To do this, we provide our foster carers with training and support that is local to them – to enable them to change young people’s lives. As a charity, we reinvest all our surplus income into providing additional support over and above what is required of a fostering agency. For example, we offer a dedicated education service, health service and an online foster carer portal.

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

We understand how important a high level of support is to our foster carers, which is why we reinvest surplus income into providing more support for our fostering families.

Also, our Supervising Social Workers have manageable workloads, so that they are able to dedicate more time to you. After all, the better we support you, the better you will be able to provide the care and guidance required to change children’s lives.

This is what we provide:

Full 24/7 support. Your Supervising Social Worker will usually provide all the support you need, but we also have a dedicated out-of-hours support service for total peace of mind.
Foster carer portal. Access to an online community of TACT foster carers and a place to find information, advice, training and other resources to help you with your day-to-day life as a foster carer.

Education service. Our specialist service provides support and advice to help ensure that the children in your care receive the best possible educational opportunities.
Health service. Our dedicated health service was established to provide young people in your care with full and ongoing physical and mental health care.
Support groups. Our support groups operate all over South East London, and will provide you with a local outlet to meet other carers in your area and share experiences and knowledge. Some of our existing foster carers have also made new friends at these support groups.
Support for young people. Our Children’s Resource Workers provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events.
Supporting your own children. We understand that your own children play an important role in the fostering household. As such, our Children Who Foster events provide your own children with an opportunity to socialise with other young people who make an amazing contribution to fostering.
Peer support. In some areas, peer-to-peer support may be available. These work by pairing newly approved foster carers with experienced TACT carers to provide another level of support.

Explore more reasons why to choose TACT…

Fostering Allowance Lewisham

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

As a charity, we are part-funded by Lewisham Council in order to help find foster homes for young people. The actual fostering allowance you will receive will be dependant on a number of factors. For example, different fees are paid according to the type of fostering you choose to do, the number of children you care for, their age, and the complexity of their needs.

You will also receive additional payments for childrens 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).

Here are some examples of the weekly allowances you could expect to receive when you have a young person placed with you:

View Our Fostering Allowances

Hear From Our Foster Carers in Lewisham

“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.

“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.

“I have become a foster grandmother”

I have been fortunate to be able to help children from many different cultural backgrounds. One of the most important things I have learned is how childhood trauma can influence the course of one’s life. I see myself as someone who can make a road on which a child is able to travel.