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ADVANCED SKILLS IN FOSTER CARE

This BAAF/Akamas BTEC Certificate provides a comprehensive practice base for foster care, focusing on child development, issues of attachment and trauma, and team working.

The online course is designed to meet the development needs of foster carers and support staff across the UK. It is delivered in partnership with BAAF, reflecting their view that it is the most relevant, accessible and appropriate pathway for continuing development in the sector. They also provide quality assurance for all course content.

Students following the course are assigned a personal tutor to support them and assess their work as they study in our unique Online Learning Environment. For the first time, foster carers and support staff can access professional development where they want, when they want, and at their own pace.

Level: 3

Target Audience

This course is appropriate for:

Foster carers
Fostering support workers who are not qualified social workers

It can be useful for people who already have a Level 3 qualification such as NVQ, though they might choose instead to register for a Level 4 course such as Working with Traumatised Children.

Content and Structure

The course provides a notional 120 hours of learning, 30 hours per unit
Students complete three core units and one option unit to achieve the full qualification

Assessment

For each unit, students are assigned a personal tutor who provides guidance and support as well as assessment of written assignments. To demonstrate learning and the ability to apply theory to practice, students complete a written task at the end of each module and a longer assignment at the end of each unit.

Key Features

Students receive a comprehensive user manual as well as online guidance
The friendly Akamas team is always available to provide support by telephone or email
A public forum allows students to share support, experiences and insights
Agencies obtain clear feedback on the progress of each student
Flexible monthly start dates

Booking Information

If you have any questions or would like to request details by post, please complete our Enquiry Form or call 01453 541860.

"I would like to take this opportunity to express how much I thought the course was beneficial to me. The course material appears to cover everything a person needs to be able to act as a professional carer. It is nice for a carer to be able to say they have a qualification in the role they perform. Anything that raises the level of a foster carer has got to be a good thing."

"I have found this course exceptional in it's accessiblilty and setup, having barely used a computer without my children sitting behind me telling me what to do I managed to find my way around the course without any help. Where I did have technical problems the team was prompt, friendly and helpful. My tutor was firstclass. In all aspects of her work she was supportive, inspirational and gave critisim with fairness and tact. She made me feel confident and positive in my abilities and spurred me on when the going got tough! The whole course is well designed, executed, and its content superb. I am recommending it to all my colleagues. I would also like to say that my confidence as a foster carer has grown and I now have the confidence to do follow up courses."

"“I have really enjoyed working through the units and would certainly recommend this way of learning and this course in particular to other foster carers. By putting my fostering practice under the spotlight through this study I feel I have gained insight into the causes of behaviour and into ways of improving difficult situations. At times the tasks made me aware that I have been able to make a difference for some of my placements, which has given my morale a boost and felt very empowering.”"

The following links provide additional information and resources relating to BTEC Certificates.

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