Training for Foster Carers

It is recognised that fostering has become increasingly demanding and complex. At Key Assets, we are committed to providing quality training that is accessible and relevant to all our foster carers. Training is viewed as an important element of support to foster carers and comprehensive pre and post approval/appointment training is made available.

Training is provided to:

• Help foster carers become better at doing their job
• Improve knowledge, develop and refine skills
• Establish an explicit, positive framework of values, which promotes equality of opportunity
• Encourage foster carers to reflect upon and look at the effects of discrimination in all parts of the community, recognising that we care for children in the context of a wider society, and that for many of our children discrimination is a fact of everyday life
• Ensure that all foster carers are competent and confident in safe caring and in protecting children from harm
• Encourage foster carers to take responsibility for their own professional development through the creation of individual training profiles

Training includes the key elements of:

• Child Protection
• Working with children who have been abused
• Safe caring
• Understanding attachment
• Building resilience
• Understanding and managing difficult behaviour
• Managing and promoting contact
• Identity and self-esteem
• Valuing diversity and promoting equality
• The Treaty of Waitangi
• Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI)
• Recording
• First Aid/Health and Safety
• Education of fostered children/young people
• Empowering children/young people
• Preparing young people for moving on and adult independence