You do not need to be an expert on day one. We'll help you learn, develop your knowledge and skills you need to care for our foster children. You'll get practical training like first aid, as well as therapeutic and behavioural courses. We'll help you reparent a child in a trauma-informed way.
Foster carers are busy, so we make all learning convenient and accessible. This includes:
- online and distance learning
- in-person courses at various locations across Essex
There's a whole network of support available to you if you foster with Essex. You can build friendships and gain insights from other carers.
You'll have a 24 hour support line, a dedicated social worker and our formal support networks.
Training before you start fostering
Before you start, you’ll attend a course called Skills to Foster. This is a three day training course introducing you to the core skills you need to foster a child.
It’s a chance to learn more about fostering and what it involves, and to think about what might be challenging. Alongside Skills to Foster, anyone else in your household can also attend training. Children can go to one day courses to gain a better understanding of fostering.
When you are ready to have a foster child placed with you, we'll tell you all about their:
- personality
- education
- behaviour
- emotional and physical health
This helps you decide which areas you want to improve in and which courses to join.
Training when you start fostering
You'll be well prepared before you start fostering, but the arrival of your first foster child will still be a big moment for you and your family. That’s why in your first year of being a foster carer, you’ll complete at least six training activities.
Essex Fostering is rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted (2023), who said
Foster carers and adopters feel well supported in their journeys. They receive high levels of support from social workers and benefit from an extensive training package.
You can discuss training with your supervising social worker at any time. We’ll keep a log of what training you’ve been doing and where extra training can help.
Foster carers need to complete our 15 ‘priority’ courses within six years. Supported lodging carers will only need to complete 7 courses. We encourage carers to complete at least three training modules each year.
If you want to specialise in a certain type of fostering or for a particular age group, you can choose training specifically in that area. Training is split into three, equally important pathways:
- Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Parenting, with courses such as ‘Family Time’, ‘Anxiety and Trauma’ and ‘Reflective Therapeutic Parenting’
- The Fostering Role contains courses such as ‘Education Matters’, ‘First Aid Awareness’ and ‘Achieving Health and Wellbeing of Children in Care’
- Safeguarding includes courses such as ‘Health and Safety in the Home’, ‘Autism Awareness Workshop’ and ‘Protecting Children and Young People’
You’ll take courses in each pathway every year to ensure you’re developing a balanced set of skills. We’ll support you all the way to help you to feel confident in your abilities.
Formal training is only one part of the support you get as a foster carer with Essex. Find out about the support networks you can access.