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Campaign objective

A framework for training foster carers that is in line with other occupations in the child care workforce.

What kind of training do foster carers need?

Foster carers can get two kinds of training; pre-approval training before they become foster carers, and post-approval training, which helps them understand and deal with issues they may encounter in their fostering careers, such as communicating with children and preparing young people for independent living.

Why we campaign on training

  • Although pre-approval training is now standard - most fostering services use the Fostering Network's The Skills to Foster programme - at present there is no common framework for post-approval training for foster carers
  • This means the quantity and quality of ongoing training for foster carers is patchy, and can be expensive to provide
  • It also means that radical and consistent improvements in foster carer training are difficult to deliver, because many fostering services are simply too small in scale to develop them
  • More and more children living with foster carers have complex needs. Foster carers require high quality training throughout their fostering careers if they are to achieve good outcomes for the children they care for
  • Induction training and continuing professional development are currently an expectation for all occupations in the social care field. They must be an expectation for foster carers as well.

What we've achieved

The Fostering Network's The Skills to Foster pre-approval training is now widely used, and represents a fundamental basis for foster carer training in the UK. We also provide a range of in-house and open training in a broad range of subjects that will help foster carers throughout their careers.

Immediate goals

Lobby the UK governments to accept the necessity of a training framework for foster carers in line with other professions in the child care workforce. The new UK Sector Skills Council for Social Care, Children and Young People must also take a lead in the development of comprehensive post-approval training for foster carers.

How you can help

You can write to your MP, MSP, AM or MLA, in support of the Fostering Network's campaign to make sure all fostered children feel the benefit of having informed, well-trained foster carers.

You can join our rapid response group, and be at the front line of our information-gathering and feedback operation, which is critical if we are to lobby governments with hard facts at our disposal.

You can email policy and campaigns manager Adam Hug directly, or call 020 7620 6434.