What you will learn during our “Skills to Foster” course

What is a Skills to Foster training course?

During the process of becoming a foster carer, you will take part in our Skills to Foster training course at your local office. The Skills to Foster course is completed at stage 6 in the process of becoming a foster carer, offering an insight into what being a foster carer looks like at Nexus Fostering while providing invaluable skills and knowledge to support you in your journey.

Our Skills to Foster course is mandatory for those who apply to become foster carers with Nexus Fostering. The course is split over 3 days to ensure there's time for you to digest the information you learn. The course is thought-provoking, so we want to make sure there is enough time for conversation to be had and questions to be asked. There is also a lunch provided to you on each day, which means discussions can continue with other potential foster carers and the local team. 

What happens during a Skills to Foster course at Nexus Fostering? 

The training covers many topics to encompass some of the most important information you need to start your journey. This initial training course is part of the ongoing training you will receive as part of being a foster carer with Nexus Fostering.

The topics that are covered within the training course include (but are not limited to):

- Types of fostering (including parent & child, therapeutic, short term and more)

- Referrals from your local authority

- The placement teams and their role

- The importance of a support network

- The legalities of the care system

- Working with the wider team around a looked-after child or young person

- “Safer Caring” to ensure the safety and well-being of children and young people

- The reasons children and young people come into care

- How to report and record correctly as a foster carer

- A look into the types of neglect and abuse

- A look into child development

You will be looking at live cases to encourage thought, taking part in individual and group work to begin thinking like a foster carer and watching videos from other foster carers, birth families, and medical professionals to provide an insight into the daily lives of looked after children and young people.

At the end of your training, you will receive a certificate of attendance and a report will be written by your training leader to support the assessment step in the process of becoming a foster carer.

Chantele the Storytelling and Events Executive from our Norwich team joined a recent course and said "I really enjoyed the course, it opened my eyes to the work that foster carers do in their daily lives to support the children and young people in their care." 

Is there further training after the Skills to Foster course? 

The Skills to Foster course provides you with an introduction to many topics that you will require further training on during your foster carer career and is designed to give you a look into the life of a foster carer and the lives of the children and young people you may be looking after.

Here at Nexus Fostering, we offer a range of ongoing training for our staff and foster carers. If you’re reading this and find the topics covered in our Skills to Foster training interesting, we’d love to talk to you about how a career as a foster carer might be perfect for you – contact us here.