All members of the TACT
team - Trustees/Managers/ Foster Carers/Admin Workers/ Independent Professionals/Support
Workers - share a common set of principles and values. These guide every aspect
of the organisation's work and ensure that TACT gives a positive and consistent
response to the specific needs of every child placed with foster carers.
TACT believes that:
- All children have
the right to a permanent family in which they are able to grow and develop
as unique individuals. Where it is not possible for them to grow up in their
birth family, TACT believes that a new, appropriate and caring alternative
should be found.
- Every child coming
into care should benefit from a specially designed programme which helps
them to overcome whatever levels of material, physical and emotional deprivations
s/he has previously experienced. TACT also firmly believes that foster carers,
social workers and other involved individuals should all contribute to and
work together to design and implement these programmes
- All children who need
a foster family have the right to be placed where their needs can be met.
These needs include race, culture, religion as well as level of care. This
principle should occupy a central role in all programme planning.
- All children placed
in TACT's care have the right to be involved in planning their own futures.
Most children in care are very resilient. Given sufficient nurture and support,
they are able to cope with the damage that has occurred in their lives and
develop successfully into mature individuals.
- All children who have
to move on, either to return to their natural families or to another, more
appropriate placement, should take with them memories of a positive experience
of their time in TACT's care - a time which will have helped them to take
another step towards mature adulthood.
- Individuals with parental
responsibility have the right to be involved in making decisions about their
children's future whether or not those children live at home or in a place
designated by a Local Authority.
- Proper use must be
made of the theory and considerable body of professional knowledge which
is available relating to childcare and child development. This material
should be used appropriately in programme planning.
- Every individual, involved
in TACT's childcare programmes should benefit from appropriate training
and development opportunities. This ensures that every child placed with
TACT receives the best and most enlightened care possible. This process
of training and development should be ongoing and at all levels. TACT has
a responsibility to provide training opportunities. Individuals involved
with TACT, in whatever capacity, are responsible for taking advantage of
these opportunities. This is a contractual obligation for both parties.
- All people involved
with TACT either organisationally or as a young person in need of placement,
will receive the best treatment possible, irrespective of gender, age, disability,
marital status, sexuality, race, ethnicity or religion.