How long does foster parent training take?

Foster parent training usually takes place as a structured preparation programme before approval, followed by further learning once you begin fostering. The calendar time can vary because the programme may be delivered across several sessions, while your assessment and any additional learning are arranged around your circumstances.

The preparation stage is designed to help you understand what fostering involves before you make a final commitment. It normally covers the practical, legal and emotional responsibilities of caring for a child who may have experienced neglect, abuse, separation or other disruption. Training is not simply a set number of hours to complete; it also gives you opportunities to consider whether fostering is suitable for your household and whether you can meet the needs of children in care.

How the timescale is usually organised

• Initial preparation: You attend the fostering service’s preparation training, which may be arranged over a block of sessions or spread across a number of days or weeks.
• Assessment alongside training: Your assessing social worker gathers information about your background, relationships, home, support network, skills and reasons for fostering. Training and assessment often inform one another, so the overall timetable is not based on training attendance alone.
• Further learning where needed: You may be asked to complete additional preparation if your circumstances, experience or the needs of children you may care for indicate that more information would be helpful.
• Ongoing training after approval: Learning continues after you become an approved foster carer. This may include training linked to the age, development, health or experiences of a child placed with you, as well as learning required by your fostering service.

The length of the programme in calendar terms can be affected by how the sessions are delivered. A service may use face-to-face teaching, online learning or a combination of formats. It will explain the timetable before you start, including the expected attendance, any work to complete between sessions and how missed training should be rearranged.

What can make training take longer?

• Missing a session or being unable to complete part of the programme.
• Needing more time to understand a subject or discuss how it applies to your household.
• Identifying a need for additional safeguarding, health, therapeutic or behaviour-related preparation.
• Changes in your household, employment or availability during the assessment.
• Applying to care for children with needs that require more specialised preparation.

Previous experience can be useful, but it does not automatically remove the need to complete the current preparation programme. Foster care involves specific responsibilities, recording requirements and safeguarding duties, so the fostering service must establish that you understand the role and can apply the learning to your own circumstances.

Everyone who forms part of the fostering household should understand the effect fostering may have on family life. This commonly includes discussing the training with a partner, other adult household members and children in the home where appropriate. The fostering service will advise who should attend particular sessions and whether anyone else needs separate discussions or preparation.

Training is only one part of the approval process. You will also need to complete the assessment, provide relevant information and references, take part in statutory checks and attend the panel or decision-making stage used by the fostering service. The full journey therefore may take longer than the preparation course itself.

A useful way to plan is to ask the fostering service:

• How many sessions are included in the preparation programme?
• Are sessions delivered on consecutive days or spread across a longer period?
• Which people in the household need to attend?
• What happens if work, illness or a family commitment means you miss a session?
• Will any extra learning be needed for the type of fostering you are considering?
• How does training fit alongside your assessment timetable?

Once training starts, take notes and raise questions rather than treating attendance as a box-ticking exercise. The most useful preparation helps you judge whether fostering fits your household and gives you a sound basis for making decisions about safety, boundaries, behaviour, communication and support. Your fostering service should give you a personalised timetable and explain any changes to it during the assessment.