Foster Care Training in Ireland

Project Update: The project to develop new pre- (and post-) approval foster care training resources for Ireland.

Tasks completed:

• Review of existing resources in use in Ireland, including Foundations for Fostering, New Beginnings and Fostering Relations;

• Review of pre-approval foster care training resources in use in the UK, USA and Australia;

• Review of international literature;

• Review of relevant legislation and policy;

• Conceptual development of a quality assurance and evaluation methodology; and

• Stakeholder consultations, inclusive of inaugural project advisory group meeting, individual stakeholder meetings, and social worker, foster carer and foster carer trainer focus groups in Dublin, Youghal and Letterkenny.

Next steps (October 2017):

• Collate and analyse material from stakeholder consultations; and

• Prepare draft frameworks for new train-the-trainer, foster/relative carer, birth children and 12-month follow-up training modules.

Next Steps (November 2017 – August 2018):

• Write new training resources;

• Train trainers; and

• Pilot implementation with foster and relative carers.

Enjoying every step of this opportunity to produce an innovative, worlds-best-practice package of resources on behalf of all with a caring concern for children in out-of-home care in Ireland.