Information about the training we offer our foster carers.
We'll give you training so you can learn more about fostering, and build your fostering skills, both during the application process and after you've joined our team.
Training during the application process
As part of your application to become one of our foster carers, you'll come along to the Skills to Foster preparation training.
This is a training course for potential foster carers, approved by the Fostering Network Go to https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/ (opens new window), the UK's biggest fostering charity.
The course runs over three days, during weekday evenings and weekend daytime.
The course is delivered by experienced foster carers and members of our fostering team. Sessions include:
- What foster carers do
- Identity: valuing the heritage and promoting positive identities for young people
- Safer caring: why children in foster care are considered particularly vulnerable, and how to protect them and your family
- Understanding children: how the experiences of children in care might make them behave differently to other children and how to manage this behaviour
Our carers always give us very positive feedback on this course. They often say that the people they meet on the course become valuable friends in their fostering role.
Training after you've joined us
When you foster with us, you and your social worker will look at how we can develop your skills for the type of fostering you're doing. You'll then work together on a development and training plan for you.
As one of our foster carers, you'll have access to a variety of free specialised fostering training in local venues. We regularly email you with details of courses and how you can book on them.
You can also do some courses online. This means you won't have to travel long distances for your training courses.
Most of these courses are specifically developed for our foster carers.
They cover subjects like:
- Attachment: looking at what behaviour you may see in children who've had traumatic starts and how to help them with healthy attachments to adults
- Life story work: how to put together information and photos about the time the child spends with you, for them to take to their next placement or to have a record of their time with you
- Promoting educational achievement: what specialist services and educational support you can get at all stages of a child's education, and how to encourage a love of learning
- First aid
You can also access free courses from agencies on subjects such as internet safety and sexual exploitation.
Skills exchanges
We have regular skills exchanges, where foster carers with a particular skill, for example working with autistic children or caring for Black and Minority Ethnicity children, share their experiences with other carers.
Tell us about training you need
If there's any specific training you feel would help you in your fostering role, let your social worker know. They'll find out if there's any relevant upcoming training you can do.
