Therapeutic foster care
Giving you the tools to tackle any challenges
Children in foster care often live with the effects of trauma as a result of the experiences they’ve been exposed to in childhood. Here at Fostering People, we believe in providing children with the highest standard of trauma-informed care through therapeutic fostering. Let’s learn all about how you can utilise therapeutic fostering techniques to support children to heal and thrive.
Understanding ACE’s
When you become a foster parent, you’ll learn all about how trauma can affect a child’s overall wellbeing. Trauma can result from many of the experiences which are common for children in care, such as losing a family member in death or facing neglect and abuse. We call these Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE’s.
Around half of adults in the UK will have experienced at least one ACE during their childhood. This includes things such as witnessing domestic violence, having a family member in prison or having a parent cut contact. The trauma which results from these experiences can affect the rate at which a child hits developmental milestones and may have a lifelong impact on both their mental and physical health. There are also links between ACE’s and engaging in anti-social behaviours later in life.
What is therapeutic foster care?
Our professionally trained foster parents recognise that love alone isn’t enough— children who have experiences ACE’s also need therapeutic support in order to heal. Trauma has a lasting impact, and its effects don’t simply go away on their own. That’s where therapeutic foster care comes in.
Here at Fostering People we practice a particular approach to therapeutic fostering, based on the work of Dr. Dan Hughes and Dr. Kim Golding. We utilise PACE—not to be confused with ACE’s— a parenting model which emphasises the importance of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy when parenting children who live with trauma. These trauma-informed strategies emphasise the importance of understanding that all behaviours are a form of communication. Behaviours we may perceive as challenging are often a response to trauma and an attempt by the child to protect themself.
By using therapeutic parenting, our foster parents help children to learn healthier ways of dealing with their emotions, guiding them along their healing journey. With the support of a loving and therapeutically trained foster parent, children are supported to heal and come to terms with their past, allowing them to embrace a brighter future.
PACE Training for foster parents
Children who have experienced trauma need a different approach to parenting. Learning to parent therapeutically may at first seem daunting, but there’s no need to worry— you don’t need any previous experience to become a therapeutic foster parent.
When you foster with us you’ll receive high quality training from our team. You’ll learn all about PACE methods, attachment and how trauma impacts the developing brain. This training will equip you with the skills to provide support and care tailored to the unique needs and experiences of the children you’ll foster.
Our training is delivered both in-person and online, and is shaped to suit your needs. It covers a wide range of topics to help you become the best foster parent you can be. As well as the mandatory training you’ll need to complete when you apply to become a foster parent, you’ll also be given access to a wide library of e-learning and live training sessions which run regularly.
Your support network
You won’t be alone in therapeutic parenting. You’ll have the support of a range of experienced professionals, including our team, staff from your young person’s school, medical professionals, educational specialists and therapists.
You’ll also have the support of your own supervising social worker from our team at Fostering People, as well as a social worker from young person’s Local Authority. Together we’ll work as a team to provide you and your foster children with the right support, ensuring that your young person gets the help they need in all areas of their life, fulfilling their physical, educational and emotional needs.
You’ll also have access to our regular support groups, run by our therapists. In these locally-run sessions you’ll have the opportunity to share your experiences with other foster parents and develop your skills in a friendly, non-judgemental environment. You’ll also be matched with an experienced foster parent through our buddy scheme, who’ll be there to support you through your training and beyond.
Giving you the tools to foster successfully
Ready to learn more about how to use a therapeutic approach to parenting? Check out some of our recommended reading picks.
- ‘Creating Loving Attachments: Parenting with PACE’ by Dr Dan Hughes
- ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk
- Read our blog, ‘The Unseen Effects of Childhood Trauma’
- Read our blog, ‘The Importance of a Trauma-Informed Approach in Foster Care’
Use your skills to change a child’s life
Are you ready to put in the work to help children across the UK to lead healthy, happy lives? If so, our team here at Fostering People would love to speak with you today to help you discover just how much of a difference you could make. Contact us by giving us a call on 0800 077 8159 or by filling out our online enquiry form.
We were given reassurance as new foster parents that we were doing everything right and we continued to parent with PACE.
Take your first step to becoming a foster parent today
If you’re interested in becoming a foster parent and would like to learn more, then we’d love to hear from you.
Simply fill in the form below and one of our friendly team will be in touch.
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Call us on 0800 077 8159
Suite D, The Point,
Welbeck Road, West Bridgford,
Nottingham, NG2 7QW