Portsmouth City Council Partners with Fair Ways to Strengthen Support for Foster Carers Across the City

Portsmouth City Council has joined forces with Fair Ways in a new partnership, designed to broaden support for foster carers and increase awareness of the vital role they play in the lives of children and young people.

Fair Ways, which launched the Fostering Friendly Employer Charter in March 2025, has led the way in championing awareness of supporting existing and potential foster carers within the workplace. The initiative promotes flexible, understanding, and compassionate employment policies that help foster carers balance their vital role at home with their careers.

After launching the charter in Portsmouth, Fair Ways successfully already encouraged 100 local businesses to sign up, resulting in Portsmouth becoming the first officially recognised Fostering Friendly City in the UK.

By partnering with Fair Ways, Portsmouth City Council’s fostering service Foster Portsmouth, aims to build on this momentum, bringing additional resources, visibility and reach to the initiative. Together, both organisations will work to grow the number of fostering-friendly employers, encourage more residents to explore fostering and create a wider network of support for existing foster families in Portsmouth and surrounding areas.

The partnership will focus on:

• Expanding the number of employers who commit to the Fostering Friendly Employer Charter.
• Strengthening support systems available to foster carers within workplaces and the community.
• Raising Portsmouth city and area wide awareness of the impact foster carers make.
• Creating new opportunities for collaboration between local businesses, services and the fostering community.

Gareth Webb, Managing Director of Fair Ways said,

“We are proud to have created the Fostering Friendly Employer Charter and to have reached the milestone of 100 businesses signing up, making Portsmouth the UK’s first fostering friendly city. This new partnership with Portsmouth City Council marks an exciting next step. Together, we can grow the initiative further and ensure more carers feel understood, supported, and empowered in their workplaces and throughout the city.”

Councillor Nick Dorrington, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:

“By working together, Portsmouth City Council and Fair Ways will be able to ensure that more children and young people from Portsmouth are able to find loving homes in the months and years to come. Organisations across our city are joining us to help make a difference, and this is a powerful step forward with our objective to improve outcomes for all the children we care for.”

This strengthened citywide approach demonstrates Portsmouth’s ongoing commitment to children in our care and the families who support them. With Fair Ways and Portsmouth City Council now working side by side, the initiative is set to enter a new phase of growth, helping even more foster carers thrive and ensuring that every child has the support they deserve.

While Portsmouth may be the first Fostering Friendly City, Fair Ways and Portsmouth City Council hope it will not be the last. They are encouraging other local authorities and organisations nationwide to take up the challenge and make their own communities Fostering Friendly.

Businesses interested in becoming a Fostering Friendly Employer can find out more and sign up at: www.fairways.co/fostering-friendly-employers and www.foster.portsmouth.gov.uk/fostering-friendly-employers.

To enquire about fostering, people can contact Foster Portsmouth on 023 9283 4071, email fostering@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or visit: www.foster.portsmouth.gov.uk.