Training & events programme

Annual Reviews are an essential part of our statutory support and supervision of foster carers. In this open course, we explore how to complete an annual review well. We explore how to ensure the review meets the needs of the Fostering Service to be legally compliant, but also of carers to feel valued and supported, whilst keeping children at the centre of the process.  

Exposure to domestic abuse can have long-term consequences for children’s health and development. These may not be immediately apparent once children have been removed from an abusive home and are living with alternative carers. The impact of domestic abuse can be missed in assessment and planning, resulting in children not receiving the level of care and support they need.

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We know that young people with experience of local authority care have far greater rates of mental health difficulties than their non care-experienced peers. Yet, paradoxically, there is growing evidence that care-experienced young people are likely to find it more difficult to receive an accurate diagnosis and access to NICE-recommended best-evidenced mental health care. This talk will present findings from the ADaPT project – an active implementation study spanning 28 mental health teams across England. Our presenter is Dr. Rachel Hiller

This half day course is aimed at professionals who work with children and families who may benefit from a therapeutic intervention and would like to increase their understanding of different therapeutic approaches. Foster carers, kinship carers and adoptive parents who are considering different options for therapeutic support may also benefit from this training.

Decision makers in fostering and adoption agencies have a vital but often under-explored role. Many decision makers describe finding themselves in the role with little or no preparation, and with few arenas locally to share dilemmas or discuss best practice. What is the best process for reaching a sound decision? How can you avoid it simply becoming a ‘rubber-stamping’ exercise? What is your role in relation to the quality assurance of the panel’s activities? How should a decision maker appraise a panel chair? What does a reasonable decision look like? How should it be conveyed?

The role of the supervising social worker has many facets, involving managerial, supervisory, educative and support functions. This course provides supervising social workers the opportunity to develop their practice and confidence in these areas. It will include a review their role and responsibilities in relation to foster carers and promote the development of best practice

This two-day open course will provide practitioners and particularly those who may be new to undertaking, quality assuring or considering fostering assessments with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and practice in completing fostering assessments. This workshop may also provide a refresher for those wanting to reflect and build on knowledge skills and best practice in the completion of fostering assessments.

This course is an opportunity to consider what we know about staying in touch from research, including what works well, the voices of those with lived experience, and aspects that may present challenges or need more support.

This course is an opportunity to explore the legal and practice framework of private fostering, including best practice in how to work with this often unseen group of children. It will include explanation of the respective responsibilities of parents, private foster carers and local authorities, when private fostering arrangements are made. It will provide an opportunity to explore some of the dilemmas and challenges that can arise, as we interpret the law and guidance around private fostering, and discuss the reality of private fostering arrangements in practice within assessment, support and review processes. Since the war in Ukraine, some Ukrainian children who have travelled to the UK for safety, are living in private fostering arrangements. This course will also explore their needs, and current advice on legal and practice requirements.

This two-day open course will provide practitioners and particularly those who may be new to undertaking adoption assessments with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and practice in completing adoption assessments. Practitioners will be enabled to consider thorough, rigorous, consistent and fair approaches across the service in the assessment of prospective adopters. This course may also provide a refresher for those wanting to reflect and build on knowledge skills and best practice in the completion of adoption assessments.