Can I start foster carer training before my assessment?

Foster carer training can often take place during the assessment process, before a final recommendation is made. The exact timing depends on the fostering service, the course being provided and how far your application has progressed. Your fostering team should explain which training you can attend at this stage and how it relates to the wider assessment.

Early training is designed to help you understand the practical and emotional responsibilities of fostering before you decide whether to continue. It may also help you and your household consider how fostering could affect your work, relationships, routines and living arrangements. Taking part does not mean that you have been approved, and it does not replace the required assessment checks.

Pre-assessment training commonly covers areas such as:

• the role and responsibilities of a foster carer;
• why children may need foster care and how their experiences can affect behaviour;
• attachment, trauma, loss and managing transitions;
• safeguarding, safe caring and responding to allegations;
• working with birth families, social workers and other professionals;
• supporting identity, culture, education and personal development; and
• record keeping, confidentiality and maintaining appropriate boundaries.

The course may be delivered in a group with other applicants. This gives you the opportunity to consider different perspectives and discuss realistic examples with trainers and the fostering team. You may be asked to complete activities, reflect on your own experiences or discuss how you would respond to particular situations. These discussions are not intended to test whether you already know everything about fostering. They help identify areas where you may need further guidance.

Training and assessment usually inform one another. The assessing social worker may consider your engagement with preparation, your understanding of the role and the way you respond to learning. You should be open about questions or concerns rather than trying to give answers that you think the service wants to hear. A willingness to learn, reflect and work cooperatively is important; previous childcare or professional experience is helpful but does not remove the need to complete the required preparation.

Your assessment will still involve other elements, which may include:

• individual discussions with the assessing social worker;
• checks relating to your identity, household and safeguarding suitability;
• references and employment or personal history information where relevant;
• a health assessment;
• home safety considerations; and
• an assessment of your household’s capacity to meet the needs of children in foster care.

Training dates need to be considered alongside employment and family responsibilities. Tell the fostering team about fixed work commitments, caring responsibilities or access requirements at the outset. They can explain the available arrangements, whether missed sessions can be completed in another way and which parts of the preparation must be attended before your application can progress.

Before starting, ask the fostering team:

• which course you will attend and whether it is introductory or required preparation;
• how the training fits with your assessment timetable;
• which sessions require your partner or other household members to participate;
• what happens if you cannot attend a scheduled session;
• whether you will receive materials or activities to complete between sessions; and
• how any learning needs or access requirements can be supported.

Starting training before the assessment is complete therefore gives you useful information and allows you to prepare properly, but it is only one part of the fostering application. Continue to discuss the process with your fostering team so you understand what has been completed, what remains outstanding and how the next steps will be decided.