The Adolescent and Children’s Trust
Encyclopedia
The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (TACT) is the largest charity
providing fostering and adoption
services across the United Kingdom
. The charity works in nine offices across England
, Wales
and Scotland
. As well as providing fostering or adoptive families for children, TACT campaigns on behalf of children and young people in care, carers, their families and adoptive families across the UK.
These rapid changes made it difficult for local authorities to meet the increasing need to provide foster care and adoptive placements and it was a concern for the lack of adequate provision which led to a group of local authority service managers, who were also qualified and experienced social workers to create TACT. The organisation was subsequently registered as a charity ensuring that any surplus income was reinvested in meeting the needs of looked after children placed with TACT.
TACT became an adoption agency in 2004 and expanded its size by joining together with the Independent Adoption Services (IAS) in 2007 and most recently with Parents for Children (PfC) in 2009.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
providing fostering and adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
services across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The charity works in nine offices across England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. As well as providing fostering or adoptive families for children, TACT campaigns on behalf of children and young people in care, carers, their families and adoptive families across the UK.
History
TACT was set up in 1992 in response to changes in child care policy. Instead of local authorities placing children in their care in residential homes, increasing priority was placed on offering family based care to a much wider range of children and young people. This was consistent with the rapidly emerging philosophy of providing care close to children’s own family, school and social contacts.These rapid changes made it difficult for local authorities to meet the increasing need to provide foster care and adoptive placements and it was a concern for the lack of adequate provision which led to a group of local authority service managers, who were also qualified and experienced social workers to create TACT. The organisation was subsequently registered as a charity ensuring that any surplus income was reinvested in meeting the needs of looked after children placed with TACT.
TACT became an adoption agency in 2004 and expanded its size by joining together with the Independent Adoption Services (IAS) in 2007 and most recently with Parents for Children (PfC) in 2009.