NFCQ – The National Foster Carers Qualifications

  • FosterWiki
  • Author:FosterWiki
  • Published:November 2023
  • Country: United Kingdom

The National Foster Carers Qualifications

NFCQ The National Foster Carers Qualifications

A new generation of qualified foster carers creating positive sustainable change for children in care.

Introduction to the NFCQ

The National Foster Carers Qualifications (NFCQ) are a ground-breaking new education pathway for foster carers, a non-profit organisation developed to transform standards of care for looked after children and young people.

The NFCQ education pathway provides new and existing foster carers with a comprehensive education from Foundation to Advanced, including modules on trauma informed care at all levels. It is the first and only standardised comprehensive qualification pathway for foster carers in the UK.

The NFCQ’s are a new way to measure the education, qualifications and skills of foster carers with a benchmark and standardisation, to ensure we are equipping foster carers to meet the needs of children and enhance matching and placement planning by enabling services to identify those carers equipped to meet individual needs.

They are designed to meet the provider’s needs in resources and funding by centralising their education and training needs in one place and to positively impact retention, recruitment and placement stability.

The NFCQ Groups have been developed to harness the power of relational and reflective work, interpersonal interaction and mutual support, to raise standards, outcomes and stability for foster carers, providers and the children in their care.

The NFCQ pathway is underpinned by The National Minimum Standards and The Fostering Services Regulations (2011).

About the NFCQs

The National Foster Carer Qualifications (NFCQ) are a comprehensive education pathway to promote positive sustainable change for children in care and recognise the skilled role of the foster carer.

Designed to fit in around foster carers or candidates in the assessment process, their current work commitments or fostering commitments, they enable a learner to study with flexibility.

Whilst The Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced Associate courses have their own certification together they form an overall comprehensive qualification in foster care. Accreditation and endorsements are in development.

Why choose the NFCQ pathway if you are a foster carer?

  • Join a new cohort of foster carers leading the way in excellence.
  • Written by top experts, underpinned by regulations.
  • Build the skills and knowledge to create wide ranging lasting change to young lives.
  • Develops foster carers confidence when working professionally with the team around the child, understanding the statutory framework and standards that underpin their role.
  • Brings foster carers together in the NFCQ Reflective Groups, to share experiences, knowledge and practice.
  • Flexible working hours to suit the unique needs of foster carers, learning from any location or speed the student dictates.
  • NFCQ puts trauma informed relational care at the heart of foster carer’s work with children.

Why Fostering Providers choose the NFCQ pathway

  • To have confidence in an education pathway underpinned by NMS & Statutory Regulations.
  • Knowing their foster carers will lead the way in excellence and outcomes.
  • The NFCQ support retention, recruitment and placement stability.
  • Pioneering NFCQ Groups creating a myriad of unique benefits for foster carers, fostering families and providers.
  • Cost and efficiency savings – no more multiple training purchases, one standardised education pathway, in one place, one price.
  • Written by top-qualified experts in fostering and related fields.

The NFCQ Groups, a pioneering new programme

The NFCQ Groups have been developed to harness the power of relational and reflective practice, interpersonal interaction and peer support, to raise standards, outcomes and stability for foster carers, providers and the children in their care.

Run as safe learning spaces to enhance NFCQ education with a focus on trauma informed care, relating theory to practice, building confidence, and developing a foster carer community accomplished in all aspects and requirements of the fostering role.

Harnessing the power of NFCQ Groups for foster carers

  • Learn together, share experience and knowledge with colleagues.
  • Develop reflective practice, relate theory to practice.
  • Build confidence, develop resilience.
  • Connect and build networks to support the fostering family in the wider context.
  • Develop trauma informed therapeutic practice.
  • Develop communication skills.
  • Facilitate critical thinking and enhance self awareness.
  • Counts towards CPD.

The benefits of NFCQ groups for fostering services

  • Develop confident, reflective, trauma informed foster carers.
  • Improve placement stability, permanence and carer retention.
  • Foster carers connect, build relationships and strong networks of support for the fostering family in the wider context.
  • Engage with foster carer’s requests for more professional recognition.
  • Enhance foster carer recruitment, appeal to a wider demographic.
  • Ease pressure on current resources, compliments supervision.
  • Opportunity for peer learning and support for new foster carers with mixed levels of experience within NFCQ Groups.
  • The convenience and flexibly of online meetings with the option of meeting face to face or a hybrid of both.
  • Groups facilitate strong relationships and sustainable links, empower foster carers to support each other and overcome issues before they escalate and lead to placement breakdown How does it work?

The NFCQ can be provided by your fostering service either as your initial training to be a foster carer or as CPD and is provided under licence to each provider. Contact your provider if you wish to participate in this course.

It is also available to purchase individually. All enquires to [email protected]

What does the course contain?

NFCQ Foundation course in fostering content

  • The Foster Carer’s Role Understand the national minimum standards and statutory legislation that provide the framework for the foster carer’s role.
  • Understand Legislation and guidelines, and respond to safeguarding, protection and welfare of the children.
  • Promoting and understanding children’s safety and welfare in the fostering setting.
  • Professional Role Understanding meetings and the foster carers’ role within them, reporting, recording, the role of others, allegations and standards of care, self-employment and HMRC, evaluate the importance of supervision, the social worker’s role.
  • Understanding Trauma and it’s impact on brain development – how the child’s brain develops, identifying causes of stress and the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and attachment issues.
  • Responding to Trauma co-regulation, self regulation and relationship based approaches.
  • Understanding self-regulation and co-regulation in both foster children and foster carers and evaluate the delivery of trauma-informed care.
  • The Training, Support and Development Standards (TSDS) Summarise the purpose of TSDS and the underpinning legislation.
  • Understanding what is required in TSDS. Demonstrate an understanding of how and when you will action the TSDS and how you will complete it.
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