Is safe foster care training mandatory?

Mandatory training is training that a fostering service requires you to complete before it can recommend you for approval, or as a condition of continuing as an approved foster carer. The requirement applies to the preparation, safeguarding and development activities identified for your role, rather than to one nationally prescribed course with the same title everywhere.

In England, fostering services must assess whether applicants have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to care for children safely. Training forms part of the evidence used in that assessment. It helps you understand the responsibilities involved, consider how fostering may affect your household and identify any areas where you need further learning or support.

Most applicants will encounter mandatory training at several points:

• Before approval: preparation training introduces fostering, children’s needs, safeguarding, safer caring, working with professionals and the expectations placed on foster carers.
• During assessment: additional learning may be recommended when discussions, checks or assessment work show that a particular subject needs more attention.
• After approval: approved carers normally complete ongoing training and development so their knowledge remains suitable for the children they care for and the situations they may face.
• Before a specific placement: further briefing or training may be needed where a child has particular health, emotional, behavioural, cultural or communication needs.

Completion is usually monitored by the fostering service. You may be asked to attend sessions, complete online learning, take part in exercises or discussions, and show that you understand how to apply the learning in practice. A certificate alone is not always enough: the assessment also considers your judgement, attitude and ability to use safeguarding procedures appropriately.

Training is particularly important because fostering involves responsibilities beyond ordinary childcare. You need to know how to maintain safe boundaries, record and report concerns, protect a child’s privacy, respond to allegations, manage contact with family members and work with social workers, schools, health professionals and other services. Training should also help you understand trauma, loss, attachment and the ways previous experiences can affect a child’s behaviour and relationships.

Not completing required training can affect your application or approval. A fostering service may delay a recommendation, ask you to complete further preparation, set a development plan or decide that approval cannot proceed until the required standard is met. For existing foster carers, missed mandatory learning may be addressed through supervision and review, particularly if it relates to a child’s immediate safety or to a condition of approval.

Previous experience can be useful but does not normally remove the need to complete the fostering service’s own programme. Teaching, childcare, social care, health or safeguarding experience may help you understand parts of the training, and relevant qualifications should be discussed during assessment. However, the service still needs to confirm that you understand fostering-specific duties, its procedures and the expectations that apply to approved carers.

The exact arrangements can differ between fostering services. They may use different course names, combine classroom and online learning, or place greater emphasis on particular subjects. Ask the service to explain:

• which training must be completed before approval;
• which household members are expected to attend or contribute;
• how learning is assessed and recorded;
• what ongoing training is required after approval;
• how missed sessions, accessibility needs or prior learning are handled; and
• whether additional training is required for a particular type of fostering or placement.

Training should be treated as part of the decision about whether fostering is right for your household, not simply as an administrative hurdle. It gives prospective carers an opportunity to test their understanding, raise concerns and discuss how they would respond to realistic situations. If a subject feels challenging, asking questions during preparation is appropriate; the purpose is to develop safe, informed practice before a child is placed.

For a clear answer about the exact mandatory requirements that apply to your application, check the training plan provided by your fostering service and discuss it with your assessing social worker. They can explain which elements are essential at each stage and how your existing experience will be taken into account.