As part of the assessment process to become a foster parent you are required to attend a 3-day training course called Skills to Foster. It is a pre-approval preparation course to give you a deeper understanding of fostering, to provide you with information about the skills and abilities needed, how it will impact your life and the lives of those around you and also (and most importantly) an insight into therapeutic parenting and how it is embedded into our agency. Take a look at the fostering network website to learn more.
Embarking on a journey to become a foster parent can be scary. And whether you have parented before or not, looking after someone else’s child is different! Every child in care is there for varying reasons and with each child comes a new set of skills you will need to call upon. We don’t expect you to develop these skills and have all the knowledge needed to become a foster parent overnight nor will we throw you in at the deep end without preparation. At Mosaic Foster Care we want the best for the children and young people we look after and this cannot happen without the hard work and dedication of our foster parents.
I have 20 plus years of fostering experience with the local authority and this sadly deteriorated over the years until it was unbearable. I know of other agencies through previous SWs and SSWs and also colleagues who have also moved on from the LA. There were 3 we whittled it down to but Mosaic seemed to have a more caring ethos and less about number crunching and filling fostering placements as quickly as possible
Recent foster parent
Our training is informal, easy to follow and participative…it’s great fun! It can run parallel to your assessment, or before it starts and you will get to meet others going through the same process as you, although not necessarily at the same stage. This is a good opportunity to ask questions, state your fears, help each other through it and develop friendships. Don’t worry we try not to make it like a teacher-classroom situation which is why we keep it to a small group; we find this helps those not so comfortable with these situations feel at ease.
Take a look at our website for more information on what we cover at these sessions and meet Our Team who deliver the training.
Don't forget that we are always here for a chat if you need us.
