As a Kent County Council foster carer, you’ll be supported with all the skills and training you need to really make a difference to children’s lives. We have a stages of development pathway for all our foster carers, with many different training opportunities. Many of our carers choose to access our specialist training programme as well as our day courses, and we also offer eLearning courses to suit everyone’s needs. Alongside all this, we also offer Diploma Level 3 and 4 courses which enable you to gain professional qualifications.
You will be able to access training on a range of subjects, which will equip you to provide first class care and support to the children you are looking after.
Alongside our day courses, we also offer training programmes such as Fostering Changes, Non-Violent Resistance Training and a Reflective Fostering Programme, which all help you in the day to day support of children living in your home.
We hold conferences each year and invite key speakers to deliver talks on their chosen field. This is a great joint training opportunity for carers and social work staff.
Training timeline
Initial training
As part of the assessment process you will complete the Skills to Foster training.
Year 1
You will complete the year 1 core training, which includes:
- Introduction to Attachment
- Safe Care
- First Aid
- Understanding Trauma
- Record Keeping.
Year 2
You will complete the year 2 core training, which includes:
- Allegations Made Against Foster Carers and How to Safeguard Against These
- Child Development
- Managing Challenging Behaviour
- Equality and Diversity.
Year 3
You will complete the year 3 core training, which includes:
- Mental Health Awareness
- Loss and Grief
- Therapeutic Parenting: ACEs and Attachment Theory.
Mandatory training
All carers have to complete the following courses:
- Safeguarding against Radicalisation the Prevent Duty (eLearning)
- Safe Care training (virtual).
Main carers also have to complete our Understanding Trauma course.
Further training
Additional face to face courses are available, including:
- Life Story
- Managing Challenging Behaviour
- First Aid
- Family Time
- Growing Up in Care
- Working and Supporting Teenagers
- Honesty Trust and Lies
- Eating Problems
- Administering Medication
- Assessing and Managing Risk
- Domestic Abuse
- Defuse and De-escalation
- The Incredible Teenage Brain
- Building Resilience
- eSafety
- Drugs and Alcohol Awareness
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Awareness and Inclusion
- Street Based Gangs
- The Importance of Self Care and Interconnectedness
- Preparing for Independence
- Moving In and Moving On
- Faith Matters.
Ongoing support
After completing 2 years with us as a foster carer you can apply to complete a Level 3 Diploma - Advanced Skills in Foster Care, which provides a comprehensive practice base for foster carers, focusing on child development issues of attachment and trauma and team working.
Once you have completed the Level 3 Diploma, you can apply to complete the Level 4 Advanced Diploma in expert Practice in Working with Traumatised Children, which enables you to learn valuable skills and develop expertise within this field whilst continuing your continuous personal development.
The other specialist training programmes on offer are:
Fostering Changes Programme
Duration: 12 weeks (1 morning per week during term time)
There are 2 different Fostering Changes courses: one is aimed at carers caring for children between 3 years and 11 years, and another is aimed at carers looking after children aged 12 and over.
It is a practical, skills-based training programme, facilitated by accredited fostering social work staff. The course usually starts every January. Please advise your local training administrator if you are interested, and we will consider you when the course is being planned.