Training

Aims 

• This course will provide an overview of child protection legislation and guidance in England, Wales or Scotland and the implications of this legal framework for fostering. 

Objectives 

• Understand that Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Discuss the foster care role and the associated risks.
• Achieve a greater understanding of the need to balance risk with gains for the child’s developmental experience.
• Discuss delegated authority, recording and internet safety.
• Understand the need for a clear and up to date safer care policy.
• Know the difference between an allegation, a complaint, and a serious concern. 

Aims:

• The focus of safer care has recently shifted with the aim of reducing bureaucracy and to ‘normalise’ the experiences of fostered children and young people. This training course has been developed to further explore the key themes in our publication ‘Safer Caring: A New Approach’. 

Objectives 

Consider the key themes in Safer Caring:

• The role and status of foster carers 
• ‘Risk sensible’ not ‘risk averse’ approach to safer caring
• Delegated authority 

Explore risk and harm in the context of this work.

Support you to think how to keep your fostering household safe. 

Aims:

• This course will provide an overview of the legislation, policy and practice guidance for managing allegations in England, Wales or Scotland. 

Objectives 

• Look at the differences between allegation, complains and concerns and standards of care investigations.
• Understand the main procedures used in investigating allegations.
• Identify good practice during the allegations process.
• Understand the barriers to clear communication.
• Gain a greater understanding of a foster carer’s journey through an allegation.
• Discuss ways of minimising the incidence of allegations. 

Aims 

This course will assist foster carers to keep accurate records and share these appropriately. 

Objectives 

• Ensure foster carers are clear about their role in recording.
• Identify the reasons for recording information.
• Clarify what should be recorded and how, including using digital technology.
• Consider the legal issues involved in receiving, giving and storing information.
• Ensure foster carers are aware of national and local guidance and best practice in recording.
• Provide an opportunity to practice recording skills and reflect on own practice.

Aims

This course explores children’s relationships and what they mean to them through a trauma informed lens. It considers legislation and guidance that underpin arrangements for family time (contact) for children and young people in foster care.

There is a focus on how foster carers build relationships with and work alongside children’s families. Participants will consider how family time might impact the child and everyone involved in their care. 

Objectives

• Develop skills in supporting children relationships and building effective working relationship with children’s families, including their siblings and others that matter to them.
• Review and understand the legislation that applies to working with children’s families and family time.
• Consider how foster carers support children’s relationships within a trauma informed and anti-discriminatory framework.
• Enable foster carers to build effective strategies and solutions for improving their relationships with birth families.
• Provide a safe place for foster carers to reflect on practice to enhance their skills.

Aims

This training builds upon participants’ knowledge and understanding of Attachment Theory and its practical implications. Participants will explore the impact of childhood trauma on children’s development, attachment styles and behaviour in order to consider how they may use this knowledge to inform their practice in caring for looked after children. 

Objectives

• Develop a deeper understanding of Attachment Theory in practice and how it influences and impacts on child development.
• Explore and identify the impact of developmental trauma on children’s attachment and behaviour.
• Consider a toolbox of strategies to enable you and the children you care for to navigate daily life. 

Aims

The aim of the training is to enable participants to gain a deeper understanding of the functional nature of behaviours by considering what the behaviour is communicating to us and to identify positive ways of responding. 

Objectives

• Identify behaviours they consider challenging
• Assess the effectiveness of current responses
• Consider the significance of past events in relation to current behaviour
• Use the ABC framework of assessment
• Develop positive ways to respond to difficult behaviour
• Understand crisis intervention strategy
• Reflect on how they cope with personal stress