Building a professional foster care workforce

Learning and development tools from the Fostering NetworkRuth RichardsOctober 2009

21st century foster care• Foster carers are expected to work as

part of a team of social care professionals

• Meeting the needs of fostered children and young people requires specialist skills and knowledge

• A growing expectation that foster carers are treated as professionals and expected to meet standards

Standards and regulations• All foster carers need to meet the

Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care

• Across the UK there is a growing expectation that post-approval foster carers have access to professional development and that this is documented / evidenced.

Professional development tools from the Fostering Network

Pre-approvalThe Skills to Foster

InductionPathways through Fostering

DevelopmentAdvanced training on specific topics

Course aims

• To provide prospective foster carers with information about the knowledge, skills and abilities they will need to begin a career in fostering.

• To enable participants to reflect on theirvalues and attitudes in relation to the task of caring for children and young people in foster care

Course aims

• To provide the opportunity for

participants to understand what fostering

involves and the impact it will have on

their life, as well as the lives of others

around them.

Value base

• The needs, rights and views of childrenand young people are at the centre of all learning about foster care.

• Individuality and diversity are valued andcelebrated.

• Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice are actively promoted.

Value base

• Confidentiality is maintained, except

where the safety of children and young

people may be at risk.

• Advice and feedback is provided in a

constructive way.

The Skills to Foster and professional development

• Introduces key topics

• Start of an ongoing process of professional development

• Setting the foundations for induction and development level training

What’s new?

• Revised and updated to reflect the needs of the modern foster care workforce.

• Mapped to TSD Standards

What’s new?

• Added flexibility to the course

• Empowering trainers to respond to the needs of their fostering service and to the needs of the group

Course components

• A Leaders’ Guide for trainers• A Record and Resource Book for each

participant• CD Rom• A DVD• My Family Fosters, a handbook for

sons and daughters of foster carers, to be provided to each participant in Session 7

Record and Resource Book

• Important that participants work through the book to evidence their learning

• Book can be kept as a reference

• Expectation that participants completeeach chapter after the training session, to consolidate learning.

Training, Support and Development Standards

• TSD Standards were developed with the original Skills in mind, so the values are much the same.

• Requirements of the Standards are plumbed in throughout the second edition.

• Activities in the R&R Book are mapped and can be used to evidence the TSD Standards

Exercises in the Record and Resource Book are mapped to the TSD Standards.

A complete chart also appears in the appendices

There is a reference box after every session in the Leaders’ Guide

Assessment materials

We recommend that Skills is runalongside the assessment process

The Fostering Network is committed to a

skills-based assessment processto evaluate the skills and knowledgerequired to foster

Assessment materials

The Skills to Foster assessmentmaterials are currently in development

Retaining the skills basedapproach, these will map to both Skills and tothe TSD Standards

Available Spring 2010

A post approval professional development curriculumfor foster carers

• Safer Caring• Contact• Attachment• Education• Health• Managing Behaviour

Publications

• Comprehensive

• User friendly

• Jargon-free

• Practical advice

• Lots of examples and case studies

Face-to-face training

The Fostering Network can tailor anyPathways course and deliver it in-house toyour foster carers

• Inclusive• Inspiring• Engaging

Online Training

An introduction-level course in

each topic is available online

• Accessible

• Easy to use

• Affordable

On completion of The Skills to Foster,The Skills to Foster assessment andthe Pathways Through Fosteringcurriculum, along with relevantinformation supplied by their fosteringservice, foster carers should be able toevidence that they have met the TSDStandards.

Development level• Training on specialist subjects –

courses can be tailored to meet the needs of fostering services

• Preparing foster carers for specialised placements

• Resources are mapped to NVQ Level 3

Other learning and development tools

• Peer mentoring - good practice guidelines available

• Conferences and events• The Foster Care Resource Centre -

access to over 6,000 resources online

www.fostering.net

Any questions?