Free Training & 24/7 Support
Pre-Approval Training
If your application is successful, we will ask you to attend the ‘Skills to Foster’ training course. The course will introduce you to the skills needed to foster and give you an idea of how fostering will change your life.
The training is conducted in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It’s a great opportunity to share your reasons for wanting to foster and to ask any questions. Some have established longstanding friendships during the course.
By the end, you will have a good idea about the skills needed to foster successfully and experience the rewards it offers.
Our training is fully customised, helping you become a brilliant foster carer
Training, Support and Development Standards (TSDS) Workshops
Following approval, you will undergo training that must be completed within the first 12 months of approval. The TSD Standards provide a national minimum benchmark to set out what all foster carers should know, understand and be able to do.
After, all our carers attend regular training courses covering all areas of fostering. They provide you with the opportunity to increase your knowledge and specialise in a particular area.
These courses will enhance your professional skills and offer the possibility of enhanced payments for the care you provide.
Your chance to make a real difference.
Once your mandatory training is completed and you have your first child in placement, you can rely on support 24/7, 365 days a year, whenever you need it.
You will be allocated your own dedicated supervising social worker who will always be there to support you.
Round-the-Clock Support
“Foster carers excel in supporting children in all aspects of their well-being, and this is underpinned by high-quality training.”
— Ofsted Report 2019 | Rainbow rated ‘Outstanding in all areas’
Therapeutic Training Programme
With 7 sessions over 7 months, this special training helps our foster carers create a supportive environment for young people who have suffered trauma.
After the programme, you will able to understand the negative impacts on such children. This will enable you to effectively support the child’s emotional, psychological and social development.
Over 80% of our foster carers are therapeutically trained. It is vital to understand why and how certain behaviours are communicated. This strengthens the matching process promoting the placement stability children need.
Foster Carers’ Surgeries
We offer small focus group sessions for our carers who are caring for children with complex needs. Our surgeries involve a Q&A and tailored support from an experienced psychotherapist.
Prior to each session, you will discuss with your supervising social worker what you would like to gain from the session. This will ensure you get the maximum benefit from each of them.
Knowing you are part of a community of carers is one of the best things about fostering - and increases your confidence!
Staff training
Available to all Rainbow staff, we focus their wellbeing, recognising the more supported they are, the more they will be able to provide high professional standards to all who interact with Rainbow.
Workshops are run by a qualified psychotherapist and are centred around wellbeing, transference, relaxation and self-care.
Our social workers say this has helped them improve their organisation skills, time-management, productivity and overall mental health.
Staff wellbeing workshops
What our foster carers say
“My nerves, I must admit, were jangling on the day of the initial home visit. But I must thank the Rainbow consultant who visited us. She was brilliant putting Chris and myself entirely at ease.”
— Amanda
““We are new to fostering and we feel very lucky to have fallen in to the hands of our supervising social worker. She is very attentive and caring. Her involvement and confidence in meetings is excellent and she really supports us in advocating.”
— Mohamed & Safiyah
“My wife and I have always been very happy to be with Rainbow. It’s very simple. We have complete trust in Aijaz, Rainbow’s Director. He is always on the ball and contactable. When we have faced real problems, he has always been there without fail. I think that Rainbow is a bit like a ship and Aijaz is the rudder.”
— Ron & Gabby
“As a family we couldn't of asked for a better social worker every time we have an issue she goes above and beyond to help us. As foster carers we feel so proud to have our supervising social worker in our lives helping us, she is very easy to talk to and provides excellent advice. She is an absolute asset to the Rainbow family and we feel so lucky and proud that she is on our side.
— Destiny