A CHILDREN'S charity has made a major acquisition to strengthen its support for young people.
Adoption Matters, a voluntary adoption agency, has acquired the Wrexham-based 1st Affinity Fostering Service, ensuring a sustainable, not-for-profit future for the agency.
The move supports the Welsh Government’s plan to end profit-making foster care by 2030.
Susy White, chief executive of Adoption Matters, said: "We are thrilled to welcome 1st Affinity Fostering Service into the Adoption Matters charity family.
"This acquisition reinforces our commitment to ethical, child-centred fostering and adoption services, and ensures we are well-positioned to support families and children through the upcoming changes in legislation in Wales.
"Alongside our established not-for-profit fostering service, Foster Care Matters, we look forward to strengthening our shared mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care for children and young people."
The acquisition will allow 1st Affinity to continue its work with foster families, children, and staff.
The fostering service will transition to a not-for-profit model, complementing Adoption Matters’ existing not-for-profit fostering agency, Foster Care Matters.
Based in Gresford, Wrexham, 1st Affinity Fostering Service was founded in 2013 as a family-run independent agency.
It now supports over 100 foster families and over 170 children and young people.
Claire Grain, fostering service manager at 1st Affinity, said: "Adoption Matters share our ethos of prioritising the needs of vulnerable children and young people and delivering services with a therapeutic approach.
"By joining the Adoption Matters family, we can fully embrace this ethos and transition to a not-for-profit status."
The acquisition has been welcomed by Karen Benjamin, head of Children’s Commissioning Consortium Cymru (4Cs).
Ms Benjamin said: "With 1st Affinity Fostering Service well-established as a key partner across our consortium and on the All-Wales Framework for Foster Care, this is a positive development that will future-proof the agency within the not-for-profit landscape.
"We look forward to continuing our work with both organisations through this transition and beyond, ensuring the needs of children looked after in Wales remain at the centre of everything we do."
The agency will continue to operate under the 1st Affinity Fostering Service name, and all services will continue as normal, ensuring continuity for foster families, children, and staff.
Services will continue as normal for current foster families, children, and staff.
Adoption Matters operates across the North of England and provides services in Warrington.
