Training

Whether you are an experienced carer or new to the role, everyone can benefit from learning more about being a carer.

Ongoing learning assists you to:

• feel more confident in your role
• access valuable support networks and other carers
• gain knowledge and skills to help care for children and young people with special or particular needs
• feel better prepared to care for children and young people who have experienced trauma and change
• avoid burnout so you can continue caring for yourself and the children and young people in your care.

Whether it is through informal sources, such as a fact sheet, or in a more formal training session, there are a variety of learning opportunities available to you as a foster carer or kinship carer.

Some of these include:

• discussing a particular issue with your child safety officer or a support worker from your non-government foster and kinship care service
• attending a carer support group
• attending a training session run by our department or foster and kinship care service
• attending a relevant training course through another training provider.

You can talk about your learning and development needs at any time with a child safety officer or non-government foster and kinship care service support worker.

These needs will be recorded in your learning plan in the Foster Carer Agreement, or Placement Agreement if you are a kinship carer.

If the cost of a course is substantial, funding may be available to help you attend. The manager of the child safety service centre will need to approve any funded external training that you attend.

While all carers have access to the same training opportunities, there are different training requirements for foster carers and kinship carers.

The Foster carer training package is provided free of charge to approved carers.

If you are a kinship carer, it is highly recommended you also participate in this training, although it is not mandatory.