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Mandatory Training Courses for Foster Carers

Your required training begins during your application to become a foster carer and continues throughout your time with us in the form of additional professional development.

Empowering you to do a great job

Mandatory training is designed to give you a solid foundational grounding. It provides you with the skills and knowledge you need to be a foster carer with National Fostering Group.

It also gives you the confidence to be your best in your role and, critically, helps you meet the compliance and regulatory requirements required by your role.

Initial basic training falls into two categories:

  1. During your application
  2. Following your approval as a foster carer

In-person and online courses

Our foster care training has been created to fit around your life. Online courses are delivered in instructor-led virtual classrooms (with other foster carers) or as e-learning modules (individual learning).

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, all training has been delivered online. We’re planning to move to a blended learning environment and bring back in-person training for certain courses when we can. In-person training is delivered at venues local to you.

1. Mandatory courses (for applicants)

Your training journey begins while you’re completing your application to be a foster carer. Your assessing social worker will provide you with a Shine account, where you can manage your courses and view your progress and achievements.

Mandatory foster carer training during this stage comprises:

  • Skills To Foster
  • GDPR
  • Intro to Safeguarding
  • Introduction to Therapeutic Parenting

The questions that I was asked in my panel interview I already knew the answers to because of the Skills To Foster training.

Jane, foster carer

2.  Mandatory courses (for foster carers)

Once you’ve been approved as a foster carer, you’re eligible to receive your first placement. Your supervising social worker will encourage you to get started on mandatory courses as soon as possible. They include topics such as:

  • De-escalation
  • Paediatric First Aid
  • Safer Caring
  • Safeguarding Foundation
  • Working With Other Agencies
  • Safer Use of Medication
  • Safeguarding FGM
  • Prevent
  • Think Spot, Speak Out (CSE)
  • Record Keeping for Foster Carers
  • Equality and Diversity in the Workplace
  • Online Safety and Cyberbullying

I found the whole course to be helpful… I can’t pick one bit out that was most useful but the course as a whole has changed my perception on fostering. I am now more eager and excited to get into helping children feel safe and happy in our care, hopefully changing their lives for the better.

Naz, foster carer

Helping you be your best

Great outcomes for our foster children are achieved by investing in you. Our aim is to empower you to give children and young people a safe, supportive and nurturing environment where they can thrive and be happy. It also gives you more satisfaction in your role as a care professional.

Lifelong learning

We encourage a culture of lifelong learning, so once you’ve mastered the mandatory training, try some additional optional training – we don’t place any limits on the courses you can do. Our training platform Shine provides something for everyone, and we’re launching new courses all the time.

If you have any questions about foster care training, or any other aspect of becoming a carer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local team.

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