CWDC the Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care produced by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC).

CWDC exists to improve the lives of children, young people, their families and carers by ensuring that all people working with them have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice.

By becoming a foster carer you can make a real difference to the lives of children, young people and their families.  Foster carers are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and they aim to improve the future for and help fostered children and young people.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care has been designed to support foster carers from pre-approval through to their first two years of fostering.  This is nationwide and will be applied to all foster carers, not just those with Kirklees.

The Family Placement Team at Kirklees will support you and ensure that you’ll have the best possible training and information.  The standards set out what foster carers would know and be able to do in a clear way.

These standards apply nationally to all new foster carers as well as those who are already caring for children and young people, including partners, long term foster carers, and family and friends carers.

From April 2008 all new foster carers nationwide will be expected to achieve the Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care within 12 months of their approval.  All existing approved foster carers & their partners are expected to complete the Standards and gain the Children’s Workforce Development Council certificate of Successful Completion by April 2011.

Training and support is your right as a foster carer and will help you to develop both professionally and personally, and grow in confidence as a foster carer.  It is the first step along a pathway that will continue all through your fostering career.  The standards are based on the CWDC Induction Standards or workers in children’s social care, so foster carers will have a similar induction to other colleagues working with children and young people.

For more information visit the CWDC website where you will find more information about the standards, what to expect when you become an approved foster carer, and how completing the standards can set you on track for giving high quality care and support, and achieving recognition for the work you do.

Fostering is a very rewarding but challenging and demanding job.  As in any new role, you may feel uncertain at first about what you should do and what your foster carer provider expects of you.  The standards are there to make sure you have the knowledge and skills to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people.  Kirklees Family Placement Team will help you and you should use the opportunity to ask about anything you do not understand or do not know how to do.

Visit www.cwdcouncil.org.uk for more information