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The Fostering Network provides a comprehensive range of in-house, open access, and tailor-made training for all those working in the field of foster care in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We are fully committed to achieving better outcomes for all children and young people who are looked after through providing training opportunities for the professional development of all foster carers.

What we offer in all four nations of the UK

  • Open access courses held at a specified venue and open to individuals - a cost effective option for fostering services seeking training for small numbers of participants.
  • In-house or tailor-made training and consultancy: we can design a course for you and your colleagues and deliver it at a venue of your choice.

What our training is founded on

  • Experience: All our training is supported by the innovative work of the Fostering Network. Many years of experience as the major UK-wide provider of foster care training tells us that choosing the right training is crucial in ensuring that foster carers are fully supported in their work. All our trainers have direct experience of the fostering service - some are, or have been foster carers, others have experience of working in children’s services, or have been fostered themselves.
  • Expertise: Our range of courses covers everything you’ll need from ‘Recruitment’, to ‘Caring for black children’, to our nationally recognised ‘Skills to Foster’ courses. Our training aims to enable all those working in the field to keep up-to-date with the latest good practice, guidance and legislation relating to foster care.
  • Equality: The Fostering Network is committed to promoting diversity and opposing discrimination in the foster care service, and this is reflected throughout the training we offer. We encourage fostering services to develop training strategies that provide training for those who often get limited opportunities to train, such as all foster carers, including men and black carers in particular. Our trainers reflect the full diversity of the fostercare service.
  • Excellence: Our training is directly linked to key national developments within childcare services, such as competency-based assessment of prospective foster carers as set out in the Code of Practice, and the UK National Standards for Foster Care. We are currently working closely with the Children’s Workforce Development Council around the Common Core of Skills & Knowledge for the children’s workforce and the development of a framework for foster care training.