Skills To Foster
Pre-Approval Training For Prospective Foster CarersFacilitator: Alex Clapson
Training Course Outline
The Skills to Foster course will prepare participants for a career in Fostering by:
- explaining what being a Foster Carer involves
- helping participants to consider how fostering may impact on their family life
- helping participants to decide whether fostering is right for them & their families
- introducing the skills & knowledge they will need to develop as Foster Carers
- appreciating the difference that good Foster Care can make to a child’s life
ALL prospective Foster Carers must attend ALL sessions as this forms part of the assessment process.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for all those who are considering a career as a Foster Carer (both Generic, & Kinship Carers), as well as Supervising & Assessing Social Workers.
Session 1 – What do Foster Carers do?
- To consider what Foster Carers do
- To explain why children come into foster care
- To explore how children’s development may be affected by their previous experiences
Session 2 – Identity & life chances
- To understand the concept of identity & the Foster Carer’s role in helping children develop a positive sense of their identity
- To hear about the experiences of children who are separated from their families
- To explore the impact of prejudice & discrimination on the life chances of children
Session 3 – Working with others
- To consider how Foster Carers work as part of the team around the child
- To outline the legal & planning framework, plus the concept of confidentiality
- To consider contact for children in Foster Care
Session 4 – Understanding & Caring for children
- To introduce the concept of attachment & how this can be affected by past experiences
- To explain the importance of providing a secure base
- To help participants think about how to promote positive behaviour
Session 5 – Safer caring
- To consider the impact that abuse & neglect can have upon children, & how to protect them from further harm
- To learn about how to approach caring tasks in everyday life
- How Foster Carers & their families can manage the risks of complaints, standards of care concerns & allegations
Session 6 – Transitions
- To consider the impact on fostered children of some common transitions
- How Foster Carers & their families can help children to manage periods of change
- To understand the Foster Carer’s role in preparing children of all ages for satisfying & successful adult lives
Sons & Daughters (Optional)
- To increase awareness of how fostering can affect Foster Carers’ own children
- How Foster Carers can meet the needs of their own children & manage difficult situations
- Organisational Policies & Procedures
- Links to videos & other useful resources & articles on Fostering
- The course follows the Skills to Foster programme developed by The Fostering Network, which I am continually improving based upon post-course feedback, for example: updated digital safety case studies.
- Course delivery is inclusive – jargon & overly complex concepts are avoided at this stage in the delegate’s journey into Fostering.
- The attendance of Supervising Social Workers & Foster Carers greatly enhances the experience for delegates. Foster Carers can share the highs & the lows of caring for children.
- Supervising Social Workers & Foster Carers in attendance record their observations of each delegate during each session (which feeds into the assessment process). They can also answer questions raised by delegates that are specific to the processes & policies of the host organisation.