The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (TACT) has been rated as Outstanding by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) for its fostering service in the South West of England. That is the highest valuation that Ofsted can bestow on a fostering service. Ofsted described TACT’s ‘highly effective service’ and outcomes for their looked after children as ‘better than those of children and young people receiving a similar service elsewhere, and that it helps them to prepare for their eventual independence and increases their life chances.’ TACT was lauded for its support of its foster carers, with Ofsted reporting that ‘all carers receive high quality therapeutic and social work support, beyond what would normally be expected. This, together with bespoke training, has a direct positive impact on the children and young people because it helps to sustain those who are struggling with their behaviour in their placements.’

Scott Ruddock, TACT Executive Director of Children’s Services said:”We are delighted by the praise received from Ofsted for the work of our South West fostering service, and the outstanding grade given.   This has been achieved by the hard work and remarkable dedication of our staff.  And Ofsted found our foster carers to be very skilled and well supported, resulting in the children they look after being happy, healthy and developing well.”

There are thousands of children in the South West who cannot be looked after by their own family. This could be because of illness or family breakdowns or because they have experienced some form of neglect. TACT is actively looking for foster carers across the South West to provide care and support to these children. If you have a spare bedroom, a caring nature and energy to provide a child with a happy home, we believe you could become an amazing foster carer! We particularly want to hear from prospective carers in Bath, Bristol, Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire. We would ideally like to hear from people who would like to care for children aged five years and over, sibling groups or children with complex needs. If you want to know more about fostering please call us on 0330 123 2250.