Building a professional foster care workforce Learning and development tools from the Fostering Network Ruth Richards October 2009

21 st 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-approval The Skills to Foster Induction Pathways through Fostering Development Advanced 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 their values 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 children and young people are at the centre of all learning about foster care. Individuality and diversity are valued and celebrated. 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 complete each 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 run alongside the assessment process The Fostering Network is committed to a skills-based assessment process to evaluate the skills and knowledge required to foster

Assessment materials The Skills to Foster assessment materials are currently in development Retaining the skills based approach, these will map to both Skills and to the TSD Standards Available Spring 2010

A post approval professional development curriculum for 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 any Pathways course and deliver it in-house to your 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 and the Pathways Through Fostering curriculum, along with relevant information supplied by their fostering service, foster carers should be able to evidence that they have met the TSD Standards.

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

Any questions?