What training is needed for an enhanced foster care placement?
Enhanced foster care placements require the core training completed by foster carers, together with specialist preparation tailored to the child or young person’s needs. This may include training on complex behaviours, trauma, therapeutic approaches, safeguarding, health needs and managing risk, followed by ongoing learning and support throughout the placement.
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Training for an enhanced foster care placement normally combines the foster carer’s required fostering preparation with additional learning linked to the individual child’s assessed needs. There is no single enhanced-placement course that applies to every child. The exact preparation is agreed during assessment, matching and placement planning, so carers understand the risks, responsibilities and support arrangements before the placement begins.
Before approval, carers usually need to understand:
- how trauma, neglect, abuse and disrupted relationships can affect behaviour and development;
- how to respond to distressed, angry or unpredictable behaviour without escalating situations;
- the importance of safeguarding, professional boundaries, recording and information sharing;
- how to promote the child’s identity, education, health, family relationships and emotional wellbeing;
- how fostering responsibilities fit alongside household routines, work and other caring commitments; and
- how to work with the fostering service, social workers, education staff, health professionals and the child’s family where appropriate.
This preparation helps the fostering service assess whether the proposed household has the skills, experience, resilience and practical arrangements needed for the role. Training is only one part of that assessment. The child’s circumstances, the carer’s existing experience and the support available around the placement are considered together.
Additional training may be arranged for the specific placement. Depending on the child’s plan, this could cover attachment and developmental trauma, therapeutic parenting techniques, self-harm awareness, missing-from-care procedures, exploitation, harmful sexual behaviour, online safety, communication needs, neurodiversity, physical disabilities, complex health needs or the safe management of medication. Where there is a known risk of violence, absconding or serious emotional distress, carers may also need practical guidance on prevention, de-escalation, reporting and agreed safety procedures. Training should relate to the child’s needs rather than treating an enhanced allowance as proof of a particular diagnosis or behaviour.
Some preparation takes place before a match is agreed, while other elements are provided once detailed information about the child is available. Carers should be given a clear explanation of the child’s care plan, known risks, triggers, communication style, daily routines, contact arrangements and professional network. They should also know who to contact if the child’s needs change or a situation becomes unsafe. It is reasonable to ask what training is compulsory, what is recommended, who will deliver it and how the learning will be applied in practice.
Learning continues after the placement starts. Foster carers may receive supervision, review meetings, refresher sessions, consultations and further specialist training as new needs emerge. This is important because an enhanced placement can change over time: a strategy that works initially may need adapting as trust develops, family contact changes, or the child’s behaviour and health needs become clearer. Carers are expected to share concerns promptly, keep accurate records and take part in reviews so that training and support remain relevant.
Training does not remove the need for professional judgement. Foster carers should follow the child’s agreed plans, safeguarding procedures and advice from the professionals involved, while reporting anything that falls outside those arrangements. They should not use physical intervention, restrictive practices, medication or therapeutic techniques unless they have been appropriately trained and the procedure is authorised within the relevant care and safeguarding plans.
Before accepting an enhanced placement, ask for the training plan in writing. It should identify the child-specific subjects to be covered, any outstanding preparation, arrangements for supervision and the process for requesting further support. A clear plan allows carers to make an informed decision about whether they can meet the placement’s requirements and helps everyone maintain consistent care.
Enhanced foster care placement training should be practical as well as theoretical. Alongside learning materials or taught sessions, preparation may involve case scenarios, discussion of possible situations and guidance on applying agreed strategies in the home. This helps carers consider how they would respond to behaviour, communicate with professionals and follow safeguarding procedures before facing those situations in practice.
The fostering service may also check understanding through discussion, observed practice or a review of completed learning. The aim is not simply to confirm attendance, but to establish that carers can use the information safely and consistently. If a carer has relevant professional or personal experience, this can inform the assessment, although it may not replace placement-specific preparation where the child has unfamiliar needs.
Find out more about enhanced foster care placement training
If you are considering an enhanced foster care placement, speak to our fostering team about the training requirements and how the application process works. They can help you understand whether fostering could be right for your household before you decide on your next step.