Foster Parent Training Medway Kent

Training

The Hazel Project is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people and recognises the importance of foster parent training, encouraging comprehensive learning and continuous development.

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Our training enables foster parents to keep up to date, provide safe and nurturing environments and work professionally as part of the multi-disciplinary team surrounding the children and young people in their care.

Attending training is a regulatory requirement for foster parents. Training is designed to meet the requirements of the Fostering Regulations 2011, National Minimum Standards 2011 and Training Support and Development Standards. Feedback from our foster parents directly informs future training opportunities.

Personal development plan

All foster parents have their own “Personal Development Plan”. These start being created during the assessment process and set out the foster parent’s initial learning needs.

The training that is required is identified and an achievable timeframe in which to complete the training is set.

Personal Development Plans are reviewed regularly and foster parents help to inform their own plans, taking into account the needs of the children that they are fostering.

Some training must be completed prior to being approved to foster at the panel including the two-day Skills to Foster course, Child Protection & Safeguarding, First Aid, Managing Challenging Behaviour, Health & Safety, Safer Caring Risk Management, Health Promotion & Communicable Diseases and GDPR.

Core training modules and Training Support and Development training are completed over the first 3 years of fostering. Core training modules often need to be repeated or refreshed periodically throughout foster parents’ careers.

Courses that are designed to help foster parents develop essential knowledge and skills such as; Anti-Radicalisation & Prevent, Capturing the Journey & Life Story, Child Sexual Exploitation, Drug & Alcohol Awareness, Education Awareness, Equality & Diversity, Loss, Transitions, Bereavement & Change, Internet – Online Safety, Secure Base, Sexual Health, Stress Management & Compassion Fatigue, Non-Violent Resistance Training and Transactional Analysis.

Specialist training comprises any additional training undertaken in advanced and specialist topics which are relevant to foster parents’ individual fostering journeys.

Examples of specialist training include Makaton, Advanced Transactional Analysis and Advanced Therapeutic Practitioners Award.

Both main and co-foster parents are required to attend training in accordance with the National Minimum Standards regulations. There is an expectation that co-foster parents complete statutory training and renew this as and when required.

The Hazel Project appreciates that many of our co-foster parents work full time and are not available to attend all training. The training requirements for co-foster parents is much less than for the main foster parent.

We deliver training during the evening and online in order to fit around co-foster parents’ work commitments.