Understanding Skills to Foster as Part of Your Foster Care Courses
Foster care courses form an important part of the journey for anyone considering becoming a foster carer. Before a child is welcomed into a foster home, carers need to understand not only the practical side of the role, but also the experiences many children in care may have been through and how this can shape their needs.
Training helps prospective carers build that understanding. It introduces the realities of fostering, the responsibilities involved, and the ways carers can provide stability and support in a child’s daily life. One of the first and most recognised training programmes within this process is Skills to Foster, which is completed as part of the fostering assessment.
Because of this, people often have questions about how Skills to Foster fits within the wider range of foster care courses, what the training involves, and what happens once it has been completed. Understanding how this course works can help give a clearer picture of the preparation and support available before fostering begins.
Are Foster Care Courses Mandatory?
Training forms an expected part of becoming and remaining a foster carer in the UK. While you do not need any previous qualifications or experience before applying, foster carers are required to complete specific foster care courses as part of the assessment and approval process, as well as during their time fostering.
One of the first courses most prospective foster carers complete is Skills to Foster. This training is usually delivered during the assessment stage and helps applicants understand the realities of fostering, the needs of children in care, and the responsibilities involved in the role.
Once approved, foster carers are also expected to complete additional core training. This often includes areas such as safeguarding, first aid, child development, and safer caring. These courses are designed to ensure carers have the knowledge and practical understanding needed to support a child who is fostered safely and confidently.
Training does not stop after approval. Foster carers are expected to continue developing their knowledge through ongoing learning and development. In England, for example, foster carers must work towards the Training, Support and Development Standards within their first year of approval, demonstrating that they understand the key responsibilities of the fostering role.
In practice, this means foster carers take part in a combination of required and optional training throughout their fostering journey. The aim is not simply to meet a requirement, but to make sure carers feel equipped to respond to the needs of children and young people who may have experienced trauma, instability, or significant change in their lives.
How Often are You Expected to Go on Different Foster Care Courses?
Training for foster carers does not stop once approval has been granted. In practice, foster care courses continue throughout a fostering career, helping carers keep their knowledge up to date and respond to the changing needs of children in care.
During the first year after approval, foster carers are usually expected to complete the Training, Support and Development Standards (TSD). These national standards set out the key knowledge and skills foster carers should develop during their induction into the role and are typically completed within the first 12 months.
After this initial stage, training becomes part of ongoing professional development. Fostering services normally provide a programme of regular foster care courses, covering areas such as safeguarding, attachment, safer caring, and child development. Some courses are mandatory and may need to be refreshed periodically, often every two or three years to make sure carers remain confident in key safeguarding responsibilities.
Alongside this core training, many fostering services also expect carers to take part in additional learning each year. This might include workshops, specialist training linked to the needs of a child in their care, or development sessions that help carers build new skills over time.
What is the Skills to Foster Training Course?
The Skills to Foster training course is the main preparation programme completed by prospective foster carers during the fostering assessment process. It was developed by The Fostering Network and is widely used across the UK by fostering services as the foundation training for people who are applying to foster.
The course is designed to help applicants understand the realities of fostering before approval takes place. It introduces the responsibilities of the role, the experiences many children in care may have had before entering foster care, and the professional framework that surrounds a foster placement.
Skills to Foster is normally completed during the assessment stage, before a fostering application goes to panel. In many services the course is delivered over several sessions or across two to three days, with prospective carers attending alongside others who are also going through the fostering assessment process.
The purpose of the course is not simply to provide information. It also allows prospective carers to reflect on the role and consider how fostering may affect their household, daily life, and relationships. Training sessions explore the responsibilities of foster carers, the support structures involved in a placement, and how different professionals work together to safeguard and support a child.
Across the programme, applicants are introduced to the core areas of fostering practice. These typically include understanding why children enter care, recognising how early experiences can affect behaviour and development, and learning about safeguarding responsibilities and safer caring approaches within a foster home.
Because of this, Skills to Foster is often described as the foundation course within foster care courses. It provides the initial knowledge and context applicants need before moving forward in the approval process and before welcoming a child into their home.
What Do You Learn During the Skills to Foster Training Course?
The Skills to Foster training course is designed to give prospective foster carers a realistic understanding of what the role involves before approval takes place. Rather than focusing on theory alone, the training looks closely at the day-to-day realities of caring for a child who is fostered and the responsibilities that come with that role.
The course also helps applicants begin thinking about how fostering may affect their household, routines, and relationships. For many people, it is the first opportunity to explore some of the more complex aspects of fostering in a supportive learning environment.
While the exact structure can vary slightly between fostering services, the Skills to Foster programme generally covers a number of key areas that are important for anyone preparing to foster.
These commonly include:
- Understanding why children come into care
Exploring the different circumstances that may lead to a child entering foster care, including safeguarding concerns, family crisis, or breakdown in family support. - The impact of early experiences on children’s behaviour and development
Looking at how trauma, loss, neglect, or instability can affect how a child communicates, builds relationships, and responds to change. - Attachment and relationships
Understanding how children form attachments and why building trust and stability is an important part of foster care. - Safeguarding and safer caring
Learning how to keep children safe within the foster home and understanding the safeguarding responsibilities that come with fostering. - Working with professionals and the wider care team
Understanding the roles of different professionals involved in a child’s care, including the child’s social worker, your supervising link worker, and other professionals involved in planning and reviews. - Supporting family relationships and contact
Recognising the importance of maintaining connections with birth family where appropriate and understanding how contact arrangements are managed. - Reflecting on the fostering role
Encouraging applicants to think about their own experiences, expectations, and readiness to foster, and how their household may adapt to welcoming a child.
The training is usually delivered through a mixture of discussions, group activities, and real-life scenarios. This allows prospective foster carers to explore different situations they may encounter and to hear from others who are also considering fostering.
What Happens After You Complete the Skills to Foster Course?
After the course, the fostering assessment continues with your assessing link worker, who will still be completing the detailed Form F report. This part of the process looks at your experience, your household, your support network, and the type of fostering that may be suitable for you. Discussions from the Skills to Foster sessions often feed into these conversations, as the training encourages applicants to reflect on the responsibilities involved in caring for a child.
Once the assessment is complete, the Form F report is presented to an independent fostering panel. The panel reviews the information gathered during the assessment and considers whether to recommend approval. They will look at your experience, the training completed, and the recommendation made by your assessing link worker.
If the panel recommends approval, the final decision is then made by the agency decision maker. This is a formal step required within fostering services to confirm whether an applicant can be approved as a foster carer.
For many prospective carers, completing the Skills to Foster course is the point where the role of fostering becomes much clearer. It provides a practical introduction to the realities of caring for children in care and helps applicants move into the final stage of the assessment process with a stronger understanding of what fostering involves.
Who Delivers the Skills to Foster Training?
The Skills to Foster programme is developed by The Fostering Network, but the training itself is delivered by fostering services as part of the assessment process for prospective carers. This means the course is usually run by the fostering agency, like Family Fostering Partners or local authority that is completing your assessment.
Training sessions are typically led by experienced fostering professionals who understand both the practical and professional sides of the role. This often includes trainers with backgrounds in fostering services, safeguarding, and child welfare. In many cases, sessions may also involve foster carers who are already approved, sharing their experience of what fostering looks like in everyday life.
The course is usually delivered in small groups with other prospective foster carers who are also going through the assessment process. This group setting allows applicants to explore different topics together, ask questions, and discuss situations they may encounter while fostering.
Want to Learn More About Foster Care Courses?
Understanding how foster care courses work can help give a clearer picture of the preparation involved in becoming a foster carer. Training such as the Skills to Foster course is designed to make sure prospective carers have the knowledge, awareness, and support they need before welcoming a child into their home.
At Family Fostering Partners, training is not treated as a one-off requirement. From the initial Skills to Foster programme through to ongoing development, foster carers are supported with guidance, learning opportunities, and practical advice throughout their fostering journey.
If you are considering fostering and would like to learn more about the foster care courses involved, the team at Family Fostering Partners are always happy to talk things through.Get in touch with us today to ask questions, find out more about the training process, and take the first step towards becoming a foster carer.