Foster Care Training for Experienced Carers: The Importance of Ongoing Learning

While the experience of fostering over the years provides invaluable insight, ongoing foster care training remains essential in ensuring that our foster parents are equipped with the latest knowledge, techniques, and support strategies. At Family Fostering Partners, we believe that learning is life-long, and we are committed to providing both our new foster parents, and our experienced foster parents, with the foster care courses needed to continue making a positive impact.

Why Ongoing Foster Care Training Matters

Foster care is an ever-evolving landscape, with new research, policies, and best practices emerging regularly. Ongoing foster care training helps experienced carers:

• Stay Informed on Policy Updates: Regulations and policies surrounding foster care can change, and staying updated ensures foster parents remain compliant and well-informed.
• Enhance Skills: Training sessions cover a range of topics, from trauma-informed care and attachment theories to behavioural management techniques and therapeutic approaches.
• Understand Emerging Challenges: Each generation of children requiring foster care faces unique challenges, such as navigating the digital world, mental health struggles, or cultural identity questions. Foster parent training ensures foster parents are prepared for these evolving needs.
• Boost Confidence and Resilience: Even experienced foster parents face tough situations. Continuous learning provides reassurance and new strategies to tackle challenges effectively.
• Access Peer Support: Training sessions create opportunities to connect with other foster parents, sharing experiences and learning from one another.

Hear from Steve and his journey as an experienced foster parent fostering with Family Fostering Partners.

What Training Opportunities Are Available?

At Family Fostering Partners, we offer a wide range of foster care training opportunities tailored to specifically meet the needs of our experienced foster parents. These include:

• Specialist Workshops: Our foster parent training programme is bespoke made, and tailored to each of our individual fostering families, aiming to address any issues they are, or may face. The majority of our foster parent training is held in person and at venues that are local to our foster parents. The training is also held within term time and school hours (10am-2pm). 

• First Aid and Safeguarding Refreshers: Ensuring foster parents maintain these essential skills to provide a safe environment.
• External Training: Where appropriate, some of our training is sourced externally; for example, our Safe Handling and De Escalation Training, or in the instances where we host keynote speakers such as Robert Parton, who talks about his experience with Autism.
• Foster Talk: All of our foster parents have access to Foster Talk who host regular free online training sessions and webinars. 

The Role of Technology in Foster Care Training

Although a lot of our training is delivered in the traditional setting, the digital age has transformed the way foster care training can be delivered. Many experienced foster parents are now able to access learning materials through virtual platforms, making training convenient and accessible. Online training modules, live webinars, and virtual support groups enable foster parents to engage in continuous learning without geographical limitations.

Personalised Training for Individual Needs

No two fostering families are the same, and their training needs can differ based on their own personal knowledge or experience, or the needs of the children they care for. At Family Fostering Partners, we recognise the importance of tailoring foster care courses to suit individual experiences and circumstances.

For example, a foster parent fostering teenagers may benefit from training on Internet Safety, whereas someone fostering younger children may focus on early childhood development and Attachment Theory. By offering a flexible approach to training, we ensure that our foster parents receive the most relevant and useful information to help them in their journey.

How Training Benefits Foster Families

Ongoing foster care learning doesn’t just benefit foster parents—it also enhances the lives of the children they support. When foster parents receive up-to-date training, they are better equipped to create stable, nurturing, child centred environments.

Children who feel understood and supported are more likely to thrive in their placements, develop trust in their foster parents, and build the foundations for a brighter future. Training ensures that foster parents can confidently address challenges, advocate for the child’s needs, and provide a home environment that promotes healing and growth.

Join Us in Growing Together

At Family Fostering Partners, we are dedicated to ensuring that all our foster parents, whether new or experienced, have access to the highest quality foster care training. If you are an experienced foster parent looking for additional support or considering joining a fostering agency that prioritises training and development, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can continue learning, growing, and making a lasting difference in the lives of children in care.

To learn more about our training opportunities, contact us today.