Training, Support & Development Standards (TSDS)

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• Author:FosterWiki
• Published:January 2023
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The Training, Support & Development Standards (TSDS)

A simple foster carers guide to the TSDS, what, why and how

Introduction to TSDS

The Training, Support and Development Standards were introduced by the government in 2007 and apply to all approved foster carers in England.

The government say:

The TSD Standards provide a national minimum benchmark to set out what all foster carers should know, understand and be able to do within the first 12 months of approval. They are designed to ensure that all foster carers receive relevant induction, training and support, and continuing professional development.

They form part of a national strategy, supported by the Department for Education, to raise the profile of foster carers as valued professionals and to improve and standardise service provision for looked-after children.

As foster carers, we play an extremely important role, a challenging role that requires skills, education and dedication and the TSD standards were introduced by the government.

The TSD standards build on the Induction Standards for staff who work in children’s social care and have been adapted for foster carers, reflecting the unique position of looking after children in a family/home setting.

The TSD Standards for Foster Care are underpinned by the Principles and Values Statement which applies to anyone who works with children and young people and The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Completion of the TSD Standards is a requirement for all approved foster carers in England and is referenced within the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services 2011.

All foster carers have to do the TSDs regardless of other qualifications as they are specific to the unique role of the foster carer.

The Standards

There are seven Training, Support and Development Standards that you will be required to
demonstrate and evidence:

• Standard 1: Understand the principles and values essential for fostering children and young people.
• Standard 2: Understand your role as a foster carer.
• Standard 3: Understand health and safety, and healthy caring.
• Standard 4: Know how to communicate effectively.
• Standard 5: Understand the development of children and young people.
• Standard 6: Safeguard children and young people (keep them safe from harm).
• Standard 7: Develop yourself.

The TSD standards aim for the foster carers:

• To give a clear understanding of their role.
• Develop greater confidence and clarity in their practice.
• Demonstrate an outline of essential knowledge and skills.
• To recognise the development of their professionalism.
• Create a pathway to further learning and development.

How to do it

There is the standard government evidence workbook you download here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405891/foster_care_tsd_standards_evidence_workbook.pdf

Some carers fill them in online and type in answers, while some prefer to print out the pages and fill them out manually and keep them in a ring binder.

It can sound complicated and a bit daunting, to begin with, but once you get into the swing of it you will find it easy.

The government guidance

If you open the government guidance you will find a section-by-section (including all the subsections) guide on how to fill each out, it’s a simple guide and very helpful:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287954/foster_care_tsd_standards_guidance.pdf

Basically, in each box, you write an example of how you demonstrated that standard in your practice or learning.

At first, it can be hard to come up with all the answers but don’t “overthink” it, the answers can be simple and when you start to think about the question you will identify all sorts of situations to draw on to evidence that standard.

Utilise FosterWiki

Where you have to demonstrate your knowledge or understanding you can refer to FosterWiki for ideas about what this includes and what they are requiring.

For instance, there are pages on ‘The Role of the Foster Carer’ and ones on supervision, professionalism, support, contact with family, confidentiality, record keeping, therapeutic care, teenagers/transitions, babies, extracurricular activities, county lines, food, disability, birth children, the Foster Carer’s Charter (what to expect from your service) and many many more, these pages show in an easy simple to read way, what’s required, the principles and what National Minimum Standard or legislation underpins each one and will assist you in writing up your TSD’s. Check out the New Foster Carers Toolkit here.

Here is an example:
Section 5: Understanding the development of children and young people. Under section 5 there is a box 5.5 asking you to demonstrate/evidence how you supported educational potential, here is an idea of how to do that (from the government guidance):

Here’s another example, also from section 5 on understanding the development of children and young people, this time 5.3 on evidencing how you are promoting a young person’s eventual transition to independence:

At the beginning you will be asked about a principles and values statement, it’s good to note that these are the same principles and values that underpin all the induction standards for staff and carers who work with children, young people and their families.

You are asked to show your understanding of these values and principles and how you promote them.
Here is the government guide to the principles and standards:

So in these boxes, you will evidence of how you do these things in practice.

Let’s have a look at the first box ‘Principles and Values’, your evidence, what do you do to demonstrate these? We asked a member of the FosterWiki team, she said she would write something like this:

Of course, every single fostering family and every single foster child is unique, so the evidence will all be different, but from this, you can get an idea and reflect on your own practice to find examples.

When you don’t have an exact example you may put what you would do, or draw on you may have previous experience working with children and young people can use their prior learning and experience as evidence to show that they can meet the standards.

Sometimes one example fits into a couple of sections and repeating that is fine, and sometimes you may only have one piece of evidence for a box, and that’s fine as well.

The TSDs cover just the first 12 – 18 months of practice so you won’t have the unlimited experience to draw on at this point.

You can add other things to your TSD portfolio, in some cases this may be another document with a short accompanying paragraph or a statement from another professional or social worker, you may want to do a short reflective piece of writing evidencing a particular piece of practice, or issue.

How is it signed off?

Your supervising social worker (support/link/worker) will help you complete the workbook and will also sign off on each separate standard, and help you if you are required to add more evidence.

When you have finished the TSD and your social worker has signed it off it goes to a manager, or training officer in your fostering service to check and approve.

You will then be issued a Certificate of Successful Completion.