Learning for Foster Carers
Hi again! As the year draws to a close, we wanted to remind you about the importance of development and learning for our Foster Carers, and what opportunities for this we will be providing in 2023.
At Lorimer, we appreciate that our Foster Carers are very busy people! Attending meetings, filling in carer logs, organising activities…and that’s before all the cooking, cleaning, chauffeuring…
However, we consider our Foster Carers to be professionals in the lives of the children and young people that they care for. And as with most professions, there is an expectation that you will be on a path of learning and development; supported by your Supervising Social Worker. You will all have a Personal Development Plan, which is agreed with your SSW around the time of your annual review, and which should be reviewed on a regular basis, to make sure that your learning needs are applicable to the care that you are providing and the Fostering Standards.
Training 2023
Shortly, all of our carers will be receiving the 2023 training guide. This will outline for you the courses that we will be providing and how you go about booking a place. As always, we have our ten core training courses for Foster Carers:
- Advanced Safeguarding
- Internet Safety
- Record Keeping
- Confidentiality and GDPR
- Managing Challenging Behaviour
- Administration of Medication
- Equality and Diversity
- Secure Base Model
- Safer Caring
- Paediatric First Aid
We will be offering a selection of dates and times for each course, so that we can be as flexible as possible around the needs of each family.
You will all also be aware of the training hub to which all our carers have access. Through this, we can allocate more specific courses which advance specific skills based on the needs of the child placed with you. If there is any learning you would like to do, speak to your SSW to request access to a relevant course.
But learning isn’t always about sitting in a training course!
Aside from formal learning and training, there is a whole host of other ways in which you can get new skills and knowledge.
- Podcasts
- Documentaries
- Books and newspapers
- Attending meetings
- Audiobooks
Taking responsibility for some of your own learning is strongly encouraged 😊
Learning Styles
There are a couple of different learning styles, and you might find some work better for you than others. We all experience the world in different ways, and with that comes a variation in the way that we learn and take in new information.
Every learner is different. Adapting to our own type of learning style can help us to latch onto what makes us retain information most easily.
Four broad categories for the preferred method of learning have been identified and include Visual, Auditory, Reading and Writing and Kinesthetic. You can find out in the image below what each of these means, and you might find that you fall in to more than one category.
Get in Touch
Thanks for reading our Learning for Foster Carers blog post!
If you would like to get in touch, you can call, text or WhatsApp Rachael on 07938 575 738; or send an email to foster@lorimerfostering.com. If you would prefer us to call you, please submit your details using the form below; and we’ll get back to you soon!
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