Team Fostering is a social enterprise and was established in the North East in 2001 as an independent ‘not for profit’ fostering agency. It is a voluntary agency as defined by the 1989 Children’s Act and a company limited by guarantee; there are no shareholders and no profits are distributed. There are no other trading associated companies of Team Fostering.
The function of Team Fostering is to provide specialist foster care placements for those children and young people where the Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties in identifying in-house service provision.
The Sheffield office was established in 2003, and the Darlington office in 2005, and since that time both offices have increased their capacity and comprehensive support services to offer high quality placements, and to maximise children and young people’s potential to facilitate their best possible progress. Both regions maintain excellent reputations with our colleagues in the Local Authorities, other independent providers, Foster Carers and other stakeholders.
Team Fostering has succeeded in recruiting and approving Foster Carer households in the North East, South Yorkshire and the surrounding areas, and are a group of highly skilled and dedicated Foster Carers who form the basis of the agency’s provision for children and young people.
We are busy with a continuing and on-going process of assessing new prospective carers, and one of our most successful recruiting tools is by recommendations from our established Foster Carers within Team Fostering.
We work with all the Local Authority Social Services Departments in our areas, 33 in total and have contracting arrangements or preferred provider status with the majority. We are also in regular negotiations with all our customers to identify their needs, and provide services appropriate to the market demand, both now and in the future.