Making a difference since 2002

Find out how two qualified social workers set out to transform the way we think about foster care.

Our core principles remain the same today as they did at our inception

FROM AN ANCHOR SOCIAL WORKER

“I felt like part of the family”

“Anchor is truly family orientated, and I felt like part of the family when I worked there. I looked forward to going to work as I had good relations with my colleagues, particularly in the social work team. I had to relocate to support family members but, if Anchor opened up an office in my new area, I’d definitely look at coming back!”

We’ve always been child-centered and family-focused

Anchor Foster Care was founded in 2002 by husband-and-wife team, Florence and Alistair. As two qualified social workers, they wanted to start a not-for-profit fostering agency that was child-centered and family-focused.

Knowing a secure base was critical for achieving positive outcomes they worked to create an agency that would support foster parents and their families in the right way, enabling parents to provide a consistent level of care to children and young people in need.

This belief provides the basis to our mission statement; To provide safety, stability and hope to all children and young people. It’s a statement that remains as true today as it ever was.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

How we do it

At our inception, we made a series of commitments which underpin our service delivery and practice. It’s our commitment that children in our care will be:

Safe and Secure – we work hard to match the child to the right foster parents to encourage long-term relationships which help a child feels safe and secure.
Healthy – we provide access to a range of health services to ensure children are cared for across all their health needs.
Supported across their development – we help children to integrate socially, contribute to the lives of others and enhance skills to reach their full potential.
Educated – we provide access to education and strongly advocate teaching that is appropriate to the child and their learning style. This helps to enhance self-esteem and personal development opportunities.

From the Anchor family

FRANSINE - STUDENT SOCIAL WORKER

“It’s not just about the learning it’s the support and love."

I loved working at Anchor. It’s not just about the learning it’s the support and the love. You can be yourself and everyone is treated equally. Every single person at Anchor is amazing. If every agency had the same culture as Anchor Foster Care does social work would be an amazing career. Any student would be lucky to come to Anchor and get to work with all the amazing people.

CHRIS - ANCHOR RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR

“Anchor's approach, for me, is what it's all about.”

When I started working for Anchor, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was clear that they really cared about providing safety, stability and hope for all children placed with our foster parents. Matching is an absolute priority for Anchor, and we always prioritise the child/s needs and the parent/s skillset, and for me, this is what fostering is really about.

RETIRING ANCHOR EMPLOYEE

“I’ve had a fabulous twelve years working for Anchor.”

I’ve had a fabulous twelve years working for Anchor. I’m very happy about what I have contributed to the positive outcomes for children through conducting thorough staff HR procedures.

A new chapter in our family story

15 years after Anchor was founded, Florence and Alistair’s son-in-law Farayi took-up the role of Managing Director, after working for more than a decade as the company’s Finance Director. It was at this point that Florence and Alistair stepped down from the business, though they remain active Directors to this day.

Offering a fresh perspective on the future of the business, Farayi has helped Anchor go from strength-to-strength and continues to be a hands-on Director across all areas of the business.

OUR TEAM