Foster Carer Training and Support

Posted on 13th March 2014 by Jonathan

Foster Carer Training & Support

On becoming a foster carer you become a member of a strong network. Part of a team. Part of our Fostering Team! Here we take a quick glance at the support and training you will receive to help you become the best foster carer you can be.

Before your first fostering placement

Our assessment process has concluded that you are right and ready to be a foster carer. Well done. This is such a milestone.

However, moving from being a prospective foster carer, to actually opening the doors of your home to a young, vulnerable child is a big step and so we ensure you receive appropriate training.

You need to understand the legal framework that focuses on ‘looked after children’ … we can help you with this.

You need to understand the needs of young people in fostering… we can help you with this.

You will need to understand more about the ‘fostering team’ you have joined and the role each professional will play… we can help you with this.

You will need to successfully complete some basic mandatory training which would typically include:

Health and Safety
First Aid
Child Protection
Children Act
Record Keeping
Valuing Heritage and Identity
Managing Behaviour
Caring for children who have experienced sexual abuse
Safe Care practices.

Continuing professional development in fostering…

Here at Lorimer Foster Services we encourage our team of foster carers to view it as their career choice. In doing so we like to support personal and professional development goals and many of our carers are working towards the NVQ 3 ‘Looking after Children and Young People’.

Day to day fostering support and guidance

In your role as a foster carer you will be assigned a Supervising Social Worker who will visit you regularly. You can talk to them in confidence about any issue. They are also just a phone call away if you need to talk to them between visits.

Here at Lorimer Foster Services we also provide you with access to a Resource Worker. These staff are available, on a needs-led basis, to help maintain the ‘care plan’ for the individual foster child in your care.

We also understand that you might need someone to talk to outside regular office hours and so we provide you with 24/7 access to our on-call service.

Its good to talk…

When you become a foster carer, you become part of a strong community of professional fostering experts who are dedicated to making a difference to the lives of vulnerable children. You will be encouraged to attend forums, participate in networking events and receive newsletters and magazines.

Remember…

As a foster carer you are helping a young child who may have felt alone and helpless and we are here to make sure you never feel that way and that you are able to become the best foster carer you can be.