‘It was a no brainer for us’

A youth charity has described becoming a fostering-friendly organisation as a ‘no brainer’.

Motiv8 South was founded in 1998 to create inclusive spaces for young people to feel heard and respected while helping them develop new skills to help them thrive.

The charity, based in Cumberland Road, Portsmouth, has recently signed the Fostering Friendly charter to stand united with businesses and charities across the city.

placeholder image — Motiv8 Portsmouth | Motiv8 Portsmouth

The charter was launched at the end of 2025 after Portsmouth City Council joined forces with local charity Fair Ways to broaden support for foster carers and increase awareness of the vital role they play in the lives of children and young people in care.

Becoming recognised as foster friendly formalises an organisation’s commitment to supporting staff members who are foster carers or who are going through the process to become one.

As part of The News’ Fostering a Better Future campaign, Joe Weston-McDowell, head of fundraising and marketing at Motiv8, said the charity was the second organisation to officially become fostering friendly.

The campaign, which launched on Tuesday, August 11, aims to support the recruitment of more foster carers amid a national shortage despite the continued increase of children in the care system.

As of March 2025, England had 33,435 foster homes, marking a 10 per cent drop since 2021. Despite the shortage of carers, the number of children in care has continued to rise substantially, from 64,460 in 2010 to 81,770 in 2025 - the highest recorded numbers since the 1980s.

Joe said: “The first thing I would say is ‘do it, sign up’. We are a community of more than 100 businesses and organisations who really care about the community they are part of. We are all really proud of the city we are from. If you’re a business that cares about your staff and want to do right by them and children in care, then do it. Most businesses are probably already doing these things but this formalises it and supports staff. It is probably very achievable for lots of businesses and there is a lot of support out there for them as well.

“Becoming fostering friendly was the right thing to do, it was a no brainer for us and we are really on board with it. We work with a huge number of children in care so it’s important for us to be fostering friendly. In terms of practicality, it has formalised a lot of the things we were already doing but it now allows more time for foster carers at all points in their journey - both when they are moving children into their home or when they need extra time to support the children so we give them that time and that has been formalised through this.

“We have a couple of foster parents in our staff force and I think this has been really interesting to learn about. Our youth workers are in their early careers so they may not be at that point in life but this has given them the confidence to think about what their future might look like.”

Many foster carers balance their roles with other employment but fostering friendly businesses allow flexibility around working, extra time off and awareness.

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.”

Other organisations that have signed the charter include Shaping Portsmouth, Spark Community Space, Mountjoy, The Brush Bus, Home Solutions and HFC.

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.”

To be an eligible foster carer you must: