Fostering in Shropshire

Children and young people in Shropshire come into care for lots of different reasons. It could be due to family breakdowns, or an illness. However, the main reason why young people enter the care system is because of some form of neglect or even abuse. TACT are recruiting foster carers in Shropshire in order to provide these young people with care and guidance – to help them recover from any previous trauma they may have experienced.

To become a foster carer in Shropshire, you don’t need any previous experience or qualifications 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 Fostering Shropshire Team!

Meet Our Team

We cover a wide area in and around Shropshire, including Ludlow, Oswestry, Bridgnorth and Market Drayton.

We have a great team of staff within the Shropshire area. Michelle Patterson, our area manager for the West Midlands, is truly passionate about making a difference to children’s lives. She manages our great team of social workers in the area ensuring that our team of foster carers are fully supported. Michelle has been with TACT for over 12 years’, and has previously worked for other not-for-profit fostering agencies.

We provide our foster parents in Shropshire with full training, 24/7 support and a generous fostering allowance.

Hear from our foster carers in Shropshire

Upcoming events in Shropshire

Michelle looks after our fostering shropshire team

Why Foster in Shropshire with TACT?

TACT is the UK’s largest dedicated fostering charity. We have been providing nurturing and caring homes for vulnerable young people since 1993.

We work with Shropshire Council to help provide caring and nurturing foster homes. Our charitable status means that we can reinvest to provide more support and training for our Fostering Shropshire team. In particular, our work with Shropshire Council includes supporting their Stepping Stones initiative, whereby young people are gradually transitioned from residential care into fostering environments. Using a range of therapeutic approaches and support techniques, the transition is fully led by the young person.

Our reinvestment plan has enabled us to develop some unique additional services, over and above what a fostering organisation is required to provide. These include a dedicated Education Service, Health Service, and an online foster carer portal. Our TACT Connect community ensures that when young people leave our care, they have TACT’s support into adulthood and beyond.

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

Our TACTIC Clinics

For each young person that comes to live with one of our foster carers, we arrange an attachment clinic to help identify any specific support that the child may need. A support and training package for both the foster carer and young person is then be developed, and is suited to everyone’s individual needs.

Each month, TACT West Midlands also operates a ‘TACTIC clinic’ – which provides the fostering household and other professionals the chance to reflect upon a young person’s journey so far, along with their current needs. This enables the foster carer to offer the child attuned care which supports the development of healthy secure relationships, and provides the opportunity for recovery from early year’s adversity.

Our TACTIC Clinics promote long term stability and well-being for our young people.

Rated As ‘Good’ By Ofsted

Following an inspection in July 2023, Ofsted have announced that TACT West Midlands has been rated ‘Good’ for its work with foster carers and looked after children.

“Staff and foster carers work effectively and in close partnership. Children make good progress from their starting points. This is because of the excellent care that they receive from their foster carers and the agency support network around them.” – Ofsted 2023

Read the Latest Report

24/7 Support

For total piece of mind, TACT provide their foster carers with 24/7 support. When you become a foster carer with us, you will be allocated your own Supervising Social Worker – who will provide most of the support that you will need. We also have a dedicated out-of-hours service, ensuring that there will always be someone to help you, or to answer any questions you may have.

As a charity, we reinvest surplus income into providing additional support services. We know that 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 own Supervising Social Worker will provide you with most of the support you need, but our dedicated out-of-hours support service will give you total peace of mind.
Foster carer portal. An online hub, providing a community of TACT foster carers and a place to find information, advice, training and other resources.

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 health service provides the young people in your care with ongoing physical and mental health care monitoring.
Support groups. Our ‘Circle of Friends’ support group is held once a month, giving you the chance to meet other foster carers and share experiences. These take place in West Bromwich or Walsall.
Support for young people. Our Engagement and Activity Practitioner’s provide the children in your care with additional support, activities and events in Birmingham.
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.
All new TACT West Midlands foster carers will be allocated a foster carer buddy, to provide informal support and guidance.

Explore more reasons why to choose TACT…

Fostering Allowance Shropshire

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

The fostering service we provide in Shropshire is funded by Shropshire Council. Part of this funding is directly paid to our team of foster carers – the actual total of which is dependent on the type of fostering undertaken, the number of children cared for, their age and complexity of their needs. As mentioned before, surplus income is reinvested to provide additional training and supports – some of which is unique to TACT.

Our foster carers also receive additional payments for children’s birthdays, holidays and religious festivals. In addition to the 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).

View Our Fostering Allowances

Hear From Our Foster Carers in Shropshire

“The children are treated as our own”

Alex, a TACT foster carer since 2010, shares how the children in her care are treated as her own. She appreciates the continuous support from TACT and finds great pride in celebrating the children’s achievements and reuniting siblings.

“Having a child in the family helps new children to settle”

Sophie’s presence helped new foster children settle more easily, offering comfort and familiarity. Her involvement made foster children feel included and loved, creating a supportive environment that eased their transition and helped them quickly adapt to their new home.

“Being fostered with each other helped them settle”

Elaine’s support was key in helping teenage siblings settle into their new home. By fostering them together, she ensured they had a stable, supportive environment, which allowed them to thrive and become an integral part of the family.