Do foster carers receive a training certificate?

A training certificate is normally evidence that you have attended and completed a particular course, rather than proof that you are approved to foster. Its value depends on the course, the organisation delivering it and whether the certificate remains current.

Fostering preparation usually involves several types of learning. A fostering service may give you a certificate, letter or other completion record for introductory training, preparation groups or individual modules. These documents may show the course title, your name, the date completed and, where relevant, whether you took part in an assessment. Some learning may instead be recorded in your training portfolio or on the service’s internal training system, without a separate paper certificate.

You may also complete courses that lead to a formally recognised certificate. Examples can include first aid, safeguarding or other specialist training, depending on the role and the requirements set by your fostering service. The certificate for one of these courses relates only to that subject. It does not replace the wider assessment of your suitability to foster, and it may need to be renewed when the qualification or course provider requires an update.

What a training certificate can show

• That you attended or completed a named course.
• The area of knowledge or skill covered.
• Whether you completed any required activities or assessment.
• When the learning took place, which helps identify when a refresher may be needed.
• In some cases, the name of the awarding or training organisation.

A certificate is not usually the deciding document in a fostering application. Approval considers the wider evidence gathered during the assessment, including your ability to understand children’s needs, work with professionals, provide a safe home and reflect on your own practice. Training contributes to that evidence, but holding a certificate by itself does not demonstrate that every fostering requirement has been met.

Before approval, your fostering service should explain which preparation courses you need to complete and how your participation will be recorded. After approval, your training plan is likely to include further learning based on the children in your care, your development needs and the expectations of the service. Some of this may result in certificates, while other learning may be documented through attendance records, reflective discussions, workbook activities or supervision notes.

Keep copies of certificates and completion records in a safe place. They can help you track your development and provide evidence when your training history is reviewed. If you move to another fostering service, the new service may ask to see these documents, although it will still decide which learning it accepts and whether any additional training is needed. A certificate does not automatically transfer every requirement from one service to another.

Check the details on each certificate rather than assuming that all documents have the same status. A course completion certificate, an attendance record and an externally assessed qualification are different types of evidence. Ask whether the course is required, recommended or optional; whether there is an expiry or renewal date; and how the learning will be recorded in your fostering file.

Your fostering service can confirm exactly which certificates it issues and whether any training is delivered through an external awarding organisation. It can also explain how certificates fit alongside your assessment, approval and ongoing development as a foster carer.