Do working foster carers need refresher training after approval?

Refresher training is normally part of a foster carer’s ongoing responsibilities after approval, including for carers who work. It helps maintain essential knowledge, meet development requirements and prepare for the changing needs of children and young people. The precise subjects and frequency are set by the fostering service, taking account of the carer’s role, experience and current placements.

Approval is not the end of the learning process. Foster carers are expected to continue developing their skills through a combination of planned training, supervision, support meetings and learning from practice. This may include updating knowledge in areas such as:

• safeguarding and recognising signs of abuse or exploitation;
• first aid, health and medication;
• child and adolescent development;
• trauma, attachment and the effects of neglect;
• managing behaviour and responding to incidents safely;
• record-keeping, confidentiality and information sharing;
• online safety and risks associated with social media;
• equality, identity, culture and supporting children’s individual needs; and
• safer caring and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

Some learning is refreshed because guidance, expectations or recommended practice can change. Other training is arranged because a child’s circumstances make a particular skill especially important. For example, a carer may be offered additional preparation when a placement involves complex health needs, harmful sexual behaviour, exploitation, therapeutic support or contact arrangements. This is usually tailored to the placement rather than being identical for every foster carer.

Fostering services generally keep a training and development record for each approved carer. The record can show which courses have been completed, when knowledge needs updating and what further development has been identified through supervision or an annual review. If a required course has expired or has not been completed, the supervising social worker will discuss the next steps and any temporary limits that may apply to accepting particular placements.

Refresher learning can take different forms. Depending on the subject and the fostering service’s arrangements, it may involve an online module, a group session, a practical course, guided reading, reflective discussion or training linked to a child’s care plan. A practical subject, such as first aid, may require participation and assessment rather than simply reading information. Online learning can be useful for some topics, but it does not automatically replace every face-to-face or practical requirement.

Working carers should tell their supervising social worker about their employment pattern, travel requirements and other regular commitments when a training plan is discussed. The aim is to identify a workable way to complete required learning without losing sight of the child’s routines and the carer’s other responsibilities. It is important not to postpone mandatory or placement-specific training indefinitely, particularly where it affects safe care.

Training is only one part of post-approval support. Supervision provides an opportunity to discuss how learning is being applied, identify gaps and consider whether further help is needed. Foster carers can also raise questions about a course if they are unsure how its guidance applies to their household, employment or a particular child.

Before accepting approval or a placement, ask the fostering service:

• which refresher courses are compulsory for approved carers;
• how often each subject must be updated;
• how training completion is recorded;
• which courses require in-person attendance or practical assessment;
• how placement-specific training is arranged; and
• what happens if work or family commitments make a scheduled session difficult to attend.

The key point is that refresher training is an ongoing part of fostering, not a one-off requirement completed before approval. A good development plan should make clear what needs to be completed, why it matters to the children in your care and how it will be reviewed alongside your wider fostering responsibilities.