When does foster carer training begin?

The first formal training normally follows your initial enquiry and early discussions with the fostering service, once it has established that fostering may be suitable for your household. It is completed before approval, so you can understand the role properly and decide whether it is right for you before the assessment reaches its conclusion.

Training is part of the assessment, not a separate course to complete afterwards. Your participation helps the assessing social worker understand how you think about children’s needs, safety, relationships and the practical responsibilities of fostering. It also gives you opportunities to ask questions and consider how fostering could affect your household.

The exact date depends on the service’s assessment pathway and your circumstances. Some applicants attend an organised preparation course after their initial enquiry, while others begin with learning activities, discussions or meetings arranged as part of the assessment. If you apply as a couple, both applicants are generally expected to take part. Other household members may also be involved where their understanding and cooperation are relevant to fostering.

Pre-approval training commonly explores:

• the role of a foster carer and the responsibilities involved;
• how separation, loss, trauma and disrupted relationships can affect children;
• attachment, identity, development and children’s emotional and behavioural needs;
• safer caring, safeguarding and responding appropriately to concerns;
• working with social workers, birth families, schools, health professionals and other members of the child’s support network;
• recording information, maintaining confidentiality and sharing concerns;
• boundaries, household rules, online safety and managing risk;
• equality, culture, religion and helping children maintain a positive sense of identity; and
• how fostering may affect your relationships, routines, privacy and wider family.

Training may include group sessions, discussions, written exercises, case examples and reflection on your own experiences. You are not expected to arrive with specialist knowledge. The important part is to engage honestly, consider different viewpoints and show that you are willing to learn and seek advice.

Training does not mean you are guaranteed approval, and attending it does not remove the need for the other assessment steps. Checks, references, health information, household discussions and interviews continue alongside your learning. The assessment is used to consider whether you can provide safe, consistent and appropriate care for children, taking account of your individual circumstances.

Learning continues after approval. Foster carers usually receive further training linked to the children they care for, their developing experience and any areas identified through supervision or reviews. This may include updating existing knowledge, preparing for a particular placement or responding to changes in safeguarding guidance and practice. Ongoing development is an important part of maintaining safe and effective care.

Before training begins, it is useful to think about the questions you want answered. You may wish to ask how sessions are delivered, who needs to attend, what preparation is required, how learning is recorded and what happens if you need additional support. A fostering service should explain the timetable and help you understand how training fits with the wider assessment process.