Foster dad with daughter drawing at the dining room table.

Training and support

We know that deciding to foster is a big decision to make, that’s why we are fully committed to supporting our foster carers at every stage of their journey.

From your very first conversation with us, you'll be welcomed into a network of people who understand the journey you're about to begin. We’ll make sure you feel confident, informed and supported as you grow as a carer.

Initial training

From the moment you begin your fostering journey, you’ll be allocated a dedicated supervising social worker who will guide and support you.

You will also be invited to our "Skills To Foster" training course which takes place over six to eight evenings.

The "Skills to Foster" course provides key information that will enable you to decide whether fostering in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is right for you.

You will be given case studies and activities to help you understand aspects of:

child development
safeguarding and safer caring
equality and diversity
the legal aspect and how children come into care

You’ll also get to meet some of our amazing foster carers and hear about their real-life experiences and yes, you can ask them anything!

“In Bournemouth there is some fantastic training and you are always supported. There is a good social worker team behind you who understand the challenges you are going through.” – Jeff, BCP Council foster carer

Ongoing training

We offer a wide range of training throughout your fostering journey to help you develop your skills as a carer. Together with your supervising social worker, you’ll create a personalised training plan tailored to your needs and interests as well as ensuring you have all the basic information needed to fully understand your role.

There are several training plans which lay out the mandatory requirements for all new carers as they progress in their fostering career. Training topics include, but are not limited to:

attachment

safeguarding

first aid

child development

non-violent resistance

theraplay

child sexual exploitation

substance misuse

the impact of domestic violence

working with survivors of child sexual abuse

safer foster care

life story work

de-escalation

PACE

There will also be a number of other specialised training opportunities that can be booked throughout the year that are not mandatory, but will be beneficial to improve your skills as a foster carer, these could include:

The Great Behaviour Breakdown – Challenging Teenage Behaviour

Parenting Following Domestic Violence

Court Skills

Global Development Delay

Mental Health First Aid for Youth and many more

Courses may change every year to reflect carers identified learning needs and where these are consistent with national and local service objectives.

As a brand-new foster carer, we also provide the 1st Year of Approval Group to give you more information around the services given to yourself and the children you will provide for.

The training topics are set out in our carer’s "Fostering Training Programme" which you will receive on completion of your assessment and panel attendance and the "Schedule of Events" that is emailed to all carers monthly.

Additional Support

We are proud to offer our foster carers: