We’re constantly trying to improve the training we offer to foster carers, and this year we’ve listened to your feedback. We’ve repeated popular courses so that carers who missed out have an opportunity to attend in 2008; developed some new courses linked to the new training support and development standards for foster carers; continued the support group courses; and introduced opportunities for carers to access e-learning.
From April 2008 all new Foster Carers will be expected to complete the Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care within 12 months of approval.
All existing approved Foster Carers are expected to complete the Standards and gain the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) Certificate of Successful Completion by April 2011. You should be provided with opportunities to complete the Standards as part of your continuing professional development.
All Foster Care providers will be expected to implement the Standards and ensure that Foster Carers have access to pre-approval training, induction and continuing professional development.
It is anticipated that these Standards will become a mandatory requirement when the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services are reviewed.
The Standards have been developed by the CWDC. It is responsible for ensuring that people working with children, young people and their families have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice.
The standards have been designed to support you as a Foster Carer. They give your Foster Care provider a framework for your training and professional development which will mean you get the possible training, information and knowledge to truly make a difference to the lives of the children you care for.
The seven Standards cover the main areas of the foster care role and set out what Foster Carers should know, understand and be able to do:
The Standards have been adapted from the CWDC Induction Standards for workers in children’s social care, and recognise the unique position of Foster Carers providing a service in their own homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You will receive your own personal workbook. The Workbook which accompanies the Standards sets out in a simple way how examples of meeting everyday challenges can be used to evidence the skills or knowledge that you have.
Your link worker/supervising social worker will explain what is involved and help you through the process.
You’ll notice that the content and the structure of this year’s programme is built around the five outcomes of ‘Every Child Matters’ – namely being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle; staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect; enjoying and achieving: getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood; making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour; achieving economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life.
It’s only by basing everything we do around these five outcomes, along with other agencies in the field, that we can effectively work towards the government’s objective of ‘joined-up’ services to improve outcomes for children and young people.
Thanks for everything you do for fostering, and for your commitment to training – we’re sure you’ll find lots to interest you on this year’s menu, and we look forward to perhaps meeting you during the year.
Kathy Houlihan, Practice Manager; Joyce Marsden, Training Consultant; Hilary O’Leary, Practice Manager
The Core Training Programme will offer a series of courses to newly approved foster carers and an opportunity for more experienced carers to refresh their knowledge.
There is a requirement that all newly approved carers will attend the core training courses. This training will support your evidence to meet the new Training, Support and Development Standards for foster carers. Your fostering supervising social worker will discuss how this can be achieved with you.
These courses provide an opportunity to develop what has been learnt from the courses in the Core Training Programme.
Foster carers work with a vast range of areas around meeting the needs of young people and their families and this Specialist Training Programme offers the opportunity to understand in more detail the complexity of some of the issues which may arise. These courses are open and relevant to all carers unless specified in the course detail.
(79KB - pdf help) (39KB - pdf help)Please note: Training courses are available to approved foster carers only.
Many courses are available on a rolling basis and if the date for a particular course has passed it may be available again in the next training programme
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