Welcome and introduction from the Director of Children’s Services
Welcome to the Foster Carers Training, Learning and Development Brochure for 2025 to 2026.
I am delighted to announce the ongoing training and development offer to our foster carers. The Foster Care Learning and Development Brochure offers a comprehensive choice of courses; some are delivered by practitioners within the Fostering Service and others by external trainers who are experts in their field. You will also have access to the improved Flourish online training portal, where you can access a wide range of learning and development opportunities at your convenience.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of your hard work and support that you provide to our children in care. Becoming a foster parent is an amazing opportunity to give a child or young person the fresh start they need, and it takes a huge amount of courage and commitment to start your fostering journey. Our children in care are all individuals who have their own life stories, vulnerabilities and aspirations. Caring for a child in care is one of the most rewarding choices.
The relationship with a Carer for a child in care very often makes the real difference to their lives. Coventry Children’s and Education Service values the crucial and skilful work of its Foster Carers, therefore, it is important to us to support them every step of the way.
Coventry Children’s and Education Services place children at the heart of everything we do. We pride ourselves on being a learning organisation and are proactive in helping both employees and our foster carers to develop their skills, knowledge, and experience. We are committed to providing a high-quality training programme that is accessible and relevant to all our foster carers.
You will note that some of the sessions will be delivered jointly with Supervising Social Workers, Children’s Social Workers, and staff across Children’s and Education Services. This is part of our commitment to deliver a ‘team around the child’ approach to all children in care. Coventry Family Valued places relational practice at the core of how we work with children, families, professionals and colleagues.
The training courses have been arranged until March 2026 and reflect the outcomes of the recent Training Needs Analysis and mandatory training courses. They include a mix of face to face; online courses and an e-learning offer to vary your development opportunities. Please do attend any courses that are beneficial to you and speak with your Supervising Social Worker regularly about any further training and development needs.
I am proud of what we are achieving in Coventry with children and families we work with, and I am committed to strengthening Children’s and Education Services further on our journey to excellence.
Best wishes
Sukriti Sen