Fair Ways Wins Community Project of the Year at Action Hampshire Changemakers Awards

We’re incredibly proud to share that Fair Ways has won Community Project of the Year at the Action Hampshire Changemakers Awards, in recognition of our Fostering Friendly Employers campaign. The award also celebrates the leadership of our Managing Director, Gareth Webb, who led the project from its inception.

The Fostering Friendly Employers campaign has brought together 116 local employers, helping to make Portsmouth the UK’s first Fostering Friendly city. The initiative encourages employers to offer meaningful, practical workplace support to foster carers, enabling them to balance employment with the vital role they play in caring for children and young people.

Supporting foster carers through workplace change

This project was developed in response to a national decline in the number of foster carers and aims to remove some of the barriers that can prevent people from fostering. By working directly with employers, the campaign promotes flexible, understanding workplace practices that support foster carers to thrive – benefiting not only carers themselves, but also the children and young people in their care.

At its heart, the campaign is about strengthening communities and ensuring children and young people can grow up feeling safe, supported and connected to their local area.

A collaborative effort across the city

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to every organisation that has signed up to become a Fostering Friendly Employer. Their commitment has been instrumental in turning this campaign into a city-wide movement.

More recently, Fair Ways has partnered with Portsmouth City Council and Foster Portsmouth to further expand the campaign, with a shared ambition to increase the number of local employers involved and ensure foster carers across the city continue to feel supported in the workplace.

Leadership driving meaningful change

The project was led by Gareth Webb, Managing Director of Fair Ways, whose vision and leadership helped transform an idea into a recognised, award-winning initiative that is making a real difference across Portsmouth.

Winning this award is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when employers and communities come together with a shared purpose.

Together, we’re making change happen.