What training is required to become a foster carer?

Fostering training is completed in stages. It usually includes preparation before approval, learning linked to your assessment and the type of fostering you plan to provide, and continuing development once you are approved. The purpose is to help you understand the responsibilities of fostering and apply safe, child-centred care in everyday situations.

There is no single academic qualification that every foster carer must hold before applying. Instead, your fostering service will provide or arrange the preparation training it requires and will identify any additional learning needs during the assessment. Your previous experience, qualifications, household circumstances and the ages or needs of children you hope to care for will all be considered.

Preparation training before approval

Most applicants attend a structured preparation course, often known as Skills to Foster or an equivalent programme. It commonly covers:

• what fostering involves and how it differs from parenting or other forms of childcare;
• the impact of abuse, neglect, trauma and disrupted attachments on a child’s behaviour and development;
• how to provide consistent routines, boundaries and age-appropriate care;
• safeguarding responsibilities, including recognising concerns and reporting them correctly;
• safer caring, risk management and protecting children and adults within the household;
• working with birth families, social workers, schools, health professionals and other members of the professional network;
• promoting equality, identity, culture, religion and a child’s sense of belonging;
• confidentiality, recording information and sharing relevant updates;
• the possible effects of fostering on relationships, family life, pets and the wider household; and
• how to manage allegations, complaints and concerns about a child’s welfare.

The course may include group discussion, activities, case examples and opportunities to ask questions. It is also a chance for the assessing social worker to understand how you think about children’s needs and whether fostering is suitable for your household. Attendance does not automatically lead to approval; the training forms one part of a wider assessment.

Learning during the assessment

Your assessing social worker may recommend further preparation where a particular issue needs more attention. For example, this could involve caring for children with additional health needs, supporting a child with challenging or distressed behaviour, understanding a specific cultural or identity-related need, or considering how existing children in the household may be affected.

You may also need to complete practical health and safety learning. Depending on the fostering service and the placement considered, this can include first aid, safer use of medication, fire safety, infection control, online safety and safe transport. The precise requirements are agreed with the agency because training should reflect the children you may care for and the risks identified in your home.

Training after approval

Approval is the start of a continuing learning programme rather than the end of training. Foster carers normally have an individual development plan based on their experience, the children placed with them and feedback from supervision or reviews. Further sessions may cover:

• therapeutic and trauma-informed approaches;
• supporting emotional regulation, communication and positive behaviour;
• attachment, loss and separation;
• child and adolescent development;
• child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and online risks;
• supporting education, health appointments and contact arrangements;
• first aid and other refresher subjects;
• recording, confidentiality and working with professionals; and
• preparing children for transitions, independence or leaving care.

Some learning is completed through courses, while other development may take place through supervision, workshops, reading, e-learning or discussion of a real placement. You may be asked to complete refresher training when a certificate expires or when guidance and local procedures change.

Who may need to take part?

The main applicant and any approved co-carer must complete the training required by the fostering service. Other adults in the household may also be invited to relevant sessions, particularly where the subject affects household safety, boundaries or their role around a fostered child. Children in the family should receive information that is appropriate to their age and understanding, although they will not normally be expected to complete the same training as an applicant.

Your agency should explain which courses are required, when they must be completed and whether any learning needs to be refreshed. If you have relevant professional experience or existing certificates, tell the assessing social worker. Previous learning may be taken into account, but it may not replace fostering-specific preparation where the agency considers that course necessary.

Become A Foster Family can explain the preparation programme, identify the training connected with your circumstances and discuss the support available as your knowledge develops. This allows you to make an informed decision about fostering before you apply and to understand the learning involved in caring for children and young people.