The Skills to Foster

We are pleased to share that the new edition of The Skills to Foster will be available in 2024. It includes a new focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, and expanded content on child development, trauma and therapeutic approaches to fostering.  

This new edition will be accessible via a learning management system, designed to support services and foster carers to access the resource in a variety of ways.  

The Skills to Foster can be delivered in person, virtually and offer remote learning elements between sessions.  By accessing the resource in this way, fostering services will always benefit from the most up to date training, with updates coming straight through the system.

Learning management system support 

We want our fostering services and carers to get the most out of the platform and will support users to do this. The Fostering Network will be offering services training on the platform through:  

• A series of masterclasses with our learning and development team
• Our The Skills to Foster: train the trainer course
• Direct delivery of the pre-approval course to prospective foster carers
• Video tutorials to walk services through every part of using the platform to deliver The Skills to Foster
• Guidance on how to access and manage reports for trainees on the platform  

The Skills to Foster has helped countless foster carers and services over the years, and we are excited to see the further difference it makes. 

The Skills to Foster third edition is currently available to be purchased, this edition also provides the materials for course leaders electronically to support hybrid and online delivery of the pre-approval course. We also have training notes and top tips for delivering online training. Find out more about the digital edition.

The Skills to Foster training (for new edition)

Our Skills to Foster course is the longest standing, sector leading pre-approval training for all prospective applicants to foster. This course reaches international audiences and has been endorsed by services across the UK for over 20 years.  We can offer this training to your applicants directly, via private commission.  The course is delivered over three days to a maximum of 12 fostering households on any one course.  We also run monthly open access courses enabling services to access pre approval training for new applicants as soon as they require it, removing delays and ensuring responsive recruitment. 

The Skills to Foster: train the trainer (for new edition) 

Train the Trainer is a three day course designed to equip attendees to deliver our renowned Skills to Foster pre-approval training for prospective applicants to foster. This course will provide attendees with everything they need to feel confident to deliver pre approval training via virtual or in person delivery.  Maximum attendee numbers for our train the trainer courses is 12, open access courses are also available.