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Ofsted

We're officially 'Outstanding' again!

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Where belonging matters

Foster with us and be part of our community

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New to fostering?

Fostering is open to people from all walks of life. Find out how to get started on your journey with Safehouses.

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Transfer to us

Thinking about joining the Safehouses family? Find out how we can help you transfer to us.

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Our foster families

Take a look at what our foster families, young people and children have been up to recently.

Discover the benefits of fostering with Safehouses

Based in Oldham, we’re a regional, independent agency. We can offer a level of pay, training and support beyond those of local authorities and other larger national foster care agencies.

Regional and independent

We’ve spent two decades building a family-centred network of foster carers in the Greater Manchester area.

Access to specialists

We have two dedicated full time teachers on our team, here to work with young people to help boost confidence and achievement.

Round the clock support

Alongside your dedicated social worker, there will always be someone on call, 24/7 for help and support.

Foster carer support groups

Children, carers and staff talk and learn from each other. Workshops with young people are essential in influencing how we move forward.

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What our foster carers say

What is it like to walk a day in the shoes of a Safehouses foster carer? Hear from some of our brilliant foster families and find out.

"We had talked about fostering for years but we waited until out our youngest child had grown up. The Out of Hours service is priceless when you first start. You ring up and you speak to someone you know, not just a voice on the phone."

Karen & John

"Just one recent example is the support Safehouses have given regarding family contact arrangements for one of our foster children. Safehouses sorted out somewhere nice to meet, convenient for the parents, and a Safehouses social worker provided supervision for the contact meetings."

Paul & Debbie
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What’s happening

Find out about the latest news and events going on at Safehouses Fostering.

Representing fostering teenagers in the North West - a teenage boy sits next to a middle aged woman on the sofa, they are looking at each other and smiling.
News

Why foster teenagers? Tackling the youth foster carer crisis in…

Overview: A look at the urgent need for more homes for teenagers in foster care and the need for foster…

Secondary school age child sitting at a desk doing homework with a laptop, pen and notebook - representing trans racial foster placement advice
News

How to meet children’s needs in a trans-racial foster placement

Overview: A look at the rising demand for foster carers in Manchester. Important considerations and tips for successful trans-racial foster…

A toddler holding a cutout of a bee on a stick - representing how to become foster care approved
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How to become foster care approved in Manchester – a…

Overview: A summary of how to become a foster parent in Manchester, looking at steps for foster care approval. Plus,…

A boy and man sat on a sofa with gaming controllers in their hands representing support for fostering and adoption
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Safehouses Fostering and Adoption Support in Manchester – top tips…

Overview: A look at the support available for foster carers in Manchester and surrounding areas and differences between adoption and…

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Short-term fostering in Manchester – how does it work, and…

Overview: Exploring short-term fostering in Manchester and surrounding areas, including how much you get paid for short-term fostering and respite…

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Celebrating Community this Foster Care Fortnight

Foster Care Fortnight 2023 is celebrated from 15th – 28th May. This year the theme is #FosteringCommunties! Foster Care Fortnight 2023 is a…

Close up of parent and child foster carer's hands holding a newborn baby's feet
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Parent and child fostering in and around Manchester – what…

Overview: Here, we will explore parent and child fostering in Manchester and the support available for Safehouses foster carers. We…

Participation

How We’re Celebrating Care Day 2023

Friday, 17 February, is Care Day – the world’s biggest celebration of children and young people with care experience! This…

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Self care at Christmas

Christmas, the period around it, and winter in general can bring moments of real joy, but they can also present…

Queen Elizabeth
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In Memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022

Safehouses was deeply saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022. During the 70 years of…

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Foster Stories

Becky’s foster story

Meet Becky, 29, from Oldham. Becky was a teenager when her own parents started fostering and now she is following…

Safehouses at the Pink Picnic
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Safehouses at The Pink Picnic

We recently had a great time at The Pink Picnic in Salford celebrating pride, whilst chatting to people about their…

Celebrating Foster Care Fortnight
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Celebrating Foster Care Fortnight

In celebration of Foster Care Fortnight, we had a fantastic celebration with our foster carers to mark this special time.…

Memory Boxes
Participation

Memory boxes

At Safehouses we recently held a craft day where our young people made ‘memory boxes’, to keep their precious items…

Earth Day 2022
Participation

Celebrating Earth Day

Well done to J, who had the winning design in our Earth Day artwork competition! We asked the young people…

Gareth
Foster Stories

Gareth’s foster story

Meet Gareth. One of our care leavers, Gareth explains in the video below, what it has meant to him to…

National Care Day 2022
Participation

Celebrating National Care Day

Today is #CareDay22 and we’re celebrating our amazing children and young people with experience of the care system. We want…

foster carers paul and debbie
Foster Stories

Paul and Debbie’s foster story

“We had talked about fostering for years but we waited until out our youngest child had grown up. The Out…

Former pro basketball player Wayne Brown is a foster carer turned social worker.
Foster Stories

Wayne’s foster story

Meet Wayne Brown. You might know him as the Service Manager for Safehouses Fostering – but he has also had…

News

What type of foster carer should I be and why?

If you’ve decided to pursue a career in foster care then that’s amazing news to us. In our opinion, you’ve…

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Foster Stories

Meet our foster carer

Foster Carer Q&A: Karen from West Yorkshire Safehouses stalwart, Karen, has fostered 27 children since becoming a foster carer with us…

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Are you an experienced foster carer? Here are five reasons…

Foster carers everywhere we salute you. Every day you go above and beyond to provide a safe and nurturing home environment for a child or young person…

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Do I need experience with children to be a foster…

As with most things in life, previous experience makes everything a little easier but it’s definitely not essential to become…

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Could you provide a safe, loving home to a child?

Start your fostering career today, get in touch with us to find out how. We would love to hear from you.