Foster Care Training and Support

Our strength is our experience in understanding the needs of children and young people in placement and what foster parents can benefit from in terms of training and support.

There are many regulations to which we adhere, but we temper the confines of rules with a complete understanding of the reality of life as a foster parent. To begin with, we do not view any confines as restrictions but as a strong framework that supports our underlying belief that all youngsters deserve the best that society can offer and provide to them.

Local Training

We created an atmosphere that underlies the training and support Excel provides. It is of immense pride to us to be able to have our vision transformed into an environment where children are cherished, and their carers valued. We have all the support and resources you need to be ready to become a foster carer, and we have access to a number of local venues that ensure we can deliver local training and advice and you never have to travel too far, as well as a responsive network of social workers across the area who are always on hand to answer your questions.

Our programme is extensive and is tailored to meet the needs of caring for children who have had a difficult start in life. It is designed to create a full-service series to complement or enhance your natural abilities. You will learn how we operate as well as how we can best utilise your skills. This is how we bond with, and thrive on, our interactive relationship.

Development of your skills is a fundamental stage in becoming a carer with Excel Fostering.  We understand that each carer has his or her own specific set of skills and experiences, but we also recognise the importance of specialist education and how this can benefit our potential and existing families.

All potential carers will go through a preparation and assessment process, where they will attend group sessions, learning about the types of needs that children who come in to care may have. Regular visits will also be made by an assigned social worker, who will provide support through the application process.

Ongoing Support

Once a person becomes a part of our team, it does not mean an end to ongoing support and training.  All foster parents work with their assigned social worker and are reviewed to ensure that any further training needs are identified. Excel Fostering has a range of courses aimed at equipping potential or existing carers with the tools and skills needed to be the very best carer they can be. Our desire is to provide whatever is required that can help the carer to cope with any obstacles in their path.

Here are some examples of the courses that we currently provide:

• Protecting children in a digital world
• Safeguarding
• Dealing with difficult behaviour
• Therapeutic play
• First Aid
• Health & Safety
• Equality & Diversity

We have a team of committed staff who are here to provide you with the information and advice you need. Please get in touch with us today to find out more about the options available to you and how you can become a foster carer.

Skills to Foster

The Skills to Foster course  is offered to all new foster carers and generally runs over two or three sessions. The course provide you with the opportunity to meet members of our staff team along with foster carers who are already foster with Excel. You’ll learn about what’s involved in looking after children who are in care and have the opportunity to learn with others who are making an application to become a foster carer.

The Skills to Foster course covers the following areas:

• What foster carers do
• Understanding the needs of children in foster care
• Safe-caring
• Helping children to deal with change
• Managing challenging behaviour
• Working with children who display sexualised behaviour
• Survival techniques for foster carers
• The placement process and finance matters
• Preparing for Panel
• First Aid

As a registered foster carer, you will be invited to attend training each year. This training will cover areas such as:

• Attachment disorders
• Online safety
• Safeguarding children and child protection
• Children and young people who self-harm
• Learning disability awareness

We also have more specialised training for carers who:

• Have the skills and desire to work with children and young people with more complex needs or disabilities
• Wish to do Parent and Child Assessments

Training for Foster Carers

At Excel Fostering our ongoing training aims to help foster carers in everyday life as well as to manage difficult and challenging child behaviour.  You may have had previous experience with children, but fostering is a role like no other and our continuous training and support will help to promote positive relationships with the children you look after. Children in foster care have often experienced traumatic circumstances, which means a specialist approach is needed to bring about that all important positive change in their lives and massively helps in improving their long-term outcomes.

We use a model known as PACE at the heart of all our training, which is a way of thinking, feeling, communicating, and behaving which aims to make the child feel safe. PACE stands for Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy.  This may sound daunting at first,  but the model reflects how parents naturally connect with very young infants.

Children who have experienced neglect or trauma are often afraid of parental figures and can develop a range of ways to manage these high levels of fear. Through the PACE model the children can allow others to get close to them by building trust.  

For example. A child tells you they think they are bad, a knee-jerk reaction can be to deny this emotion, reassuring them that, of course they are not bad. Instead, we adopt a Curious approach, asking why they feel they are bad, allowing them a safe space to express themselves.

By adopting a PACE model approach, traumatised children discover  they can rely on adults,  trust them to open up to and truly be themselves with. They learn that their care-giver can look after them in a way they couldn’t on their own.

For adults, using PACE most of the time can reduce the level of conflict within the home, aids in breaking down defensive barriers,  as well as coaxing very reserved children out of their withdrawal. All of which are common traits in fostered children. Through PACE, we alter our own point of view rather than aiming to change the child, moving away from perceiving behaviour as negative or challenging, instead searching for the unmet need behind it.

All our foster carers and staff are trained in “Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy” DDP, which addresses issues with attachment and helps children feel safe. Children may demonstrate controlling behaviours as a result of developmental trauma, and DDP helps fostering families to develop healthy patterns of relating and communicating based on the PACE model.

Foster Care Support Overview

The foster  care support offered to our carers is the most important factor to successful placements. 

The elements of the support for foster carers includes:

• Regular contact from a dedicated social worker, generally every two to four weeks.
• Training in all aspects of looking after children and young people with challenging behaviours
• social events for carers, at least twice a year
• Support from a network of foster carers in your area 
• Up to 14 days paid holiday (respite) per annum
• Competitive allowances paid to you regularly
• Out of Hours service that provide you  with support 24 hours a day, every day of the year
• Listening to you and your needs and work hard to support you in a professional and friendly way.

Find out about the benefits of fostering with Excel and get in touch with a member of our helpful team today.