Welcome to Alpha Plus

Who are Alpha Plus?

Across Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire, we have a proven track record in high-quality foster care that leads incredible futures for generations of children and young people. We currently work with more than 50 foster carers and 60 foster children.

Our agency provides high quality, child centered services for children and young people. All of our carers are recruited, assessed, approved and reviewed in accordance with National Standards guidelines. We continue to support foster parents throughout their placements.

Our social workers and support staff are always on hand to help our dedicated foster carers in the region with specialist support and training, equipping them with everything they need to give a child or young person a positive start in life.

Starting with a three-day preparatory ‘Skills to Foster’ course, you will have the opportunity to discuss the broad issues involved in becoming a foster carer with other new applicants and experienced social workers and foster carers.

Once approved as a foster carer with Alpha Plus, you will have access to further specialist courses so you can truly develop personally and professionally. Our dedicated local support teams are on hand to help you source the most appropriate training and strategies for you.

Alpha Plus’ foster carer training courses have been cross referenced with Training, Support and Development Standards for foster carers, Every Child Matters Outcomes, and BAAF Competencies for Foster Care.

Our foster carers can claim a wide range of perks and benefits, like free membership to The Fostering Network, Max Cards, high street discounts, invitations to family activities and events, and much more.

About Alpha Plus

Alpha Plus Fostering was established in 2000 and is one of the smaller agencies in National Fostering Group (NFG). We are based in Oldham and are a team of 11 which includes the Registered, Team and Office Managers, 5 Supervising Social Workers, a Support Worker and 2 Carer Recruitment & Engagement Officers. As a small team and fostering agency, we are proud of our informal ‘family’ feel.

We host a regular programme of activities and events for our families throughout the year, including indoor and outdoor activities, team building outdoor pursuits, family brunches & lunches, festive celebrations, cinema trips, an annual Big Camp which hosts our sports day, arts and crafts and much more. The highlight of our year is our and our annual Celebration Evening where cares and children’s amazing achievements are recognised. We love spending time with foster carers and their families – the more the merrier!

Alpha Plus Fostering has consistently ranked as a preferred independent fostering provider for local authorities across the North West for over two decades. Our 2025 Ofsted Inspection judged us as Outstanding in all areas and noted that we provide “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the independent fostering agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people”.

Being a preferred Fostering provider, ensures there is no shortage of referrals for children needing loving foster homes, this allows us to match the right foster carers with the right children who will benefit from their care the most.

We aim to meet the individual needs of each child and help them to settle and thrive in their foster home. Our nurturing and therapeutic approach supports the stability and longevity of our foster placements with a high number of children living with their foster carers on a long-term basis and several remaining into adulthood; we are very proud of this achievement.

The Healing Hearts Service

Alpha’s Healing Hearts Service provides wrap-around support to foster carers and children & young people and includes support from designated supervising social workers trained in Therapeutic Parenting (Foundation Level), access to Psychotherapists, a Therapeutic Life Story Worker and other clinicians, and peer support from our Foster Carer Champions.  We aim to empower foster carers to become trauma-sensitive caregivers, providing safety and connectedness to help children to heal and attach.

Alpha Plus offers a Therapeutic Art Group to children aged 12 and above. During sessions, they explore a whole range of issues, including feelings, bullying, puberty and relationships. Using art as a medium for expression helps build confidence and resilience. This safe and mutually supportive space allows exploration and expression of feelings including of fear, anger, confusion, hopes, dreams and ambition.

Support Groups (Reflect & Renew Groups)

Alpha Plus is committed to providing professional support with a friendly face. We arrange foster carer support groups in Manchester & Lancashire, which provide an opportunity to build valuable peer support networks. More than 30% of our foster carers are single, so this informal support network is an important benefit. Many of our carers have developed mutually supportive friendships and meet regularly outside of formal meetings.

These Groups offer a space for reflection, our psychotherapist leads group discussions which allows chance to ask for support and guidance from other carers and to gain therapeutic insight.  This is a safe space where you can explore the many challenges that being a carer brings as well as celebrating the progress and successes. You will soon realise that other carers are experiencing similar challenges, and joys, as you!

Applicants being assessed to become foster carers, are allocated a ‘buddy’ who is an experienced foster carer. Buddies provide valuable support through the assessment and in the early days following approval; they can introduce newly approved carers to their peers and attend support group meetings with them if required.

A Solid Team

The resilience of our foster carers is something we are particularly proud of. We believe the willingness and preparedness of foster families to ‘stick with’ fostered children through thick and thin is the reason we have so many excellent outcomes, including children going on to meaningful employment or remaining in education including going to college, to university or studying for apprenticeships.

We form a solid team with our foster families, providing hands-on support that is both professional and friendly.

Strong Relationships

Our success is founded on strong working relationships. We have regular team meetings and with all staff contributing to the agenda. Foster carers have their own Carer Forum, which meets with managers regularly to receive agency updates, suggest ideas, review processes and air any concerns.

Foster families have good relationships with their supervising social workers, who have manageable caseloads (up to 12 families per SSW). This allows supervising social workers to gain great insight into the carers and children’s lives and provides capacity for them to build positive and productive working relationships. Any problems generally are initially raised with social workers and we are committed to responding immediately to resolve issues before they escalate.

Small, but with national backing

Alpha Plus Fostering values being able to retain our small, community focus at the same time as being part of National Fostering Group, with all the wider advantages this offers. We believe this group backing gives us the tools and resources to do a better job and provides benefits for foster carers that would not have been possible otherwise. Our foster carers particularly value the quality of training that is now available and the fact there are several local training venues, making training easily accessible to all carers, alongside a wide range of virtual training available to enhance and hone their skills.