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FOSTER CARERS
The Solihull Approach team have developed a popular and evidence based course for foster carers (details below). In addition, many foster carers have also found the courses for professionals helpful ‘Understanding trauma’ and ‘Understanding attachment’, which are available as anytime online courses or as face to face courses. We provide training for practitioners to become facilitators of this course.
The course manual enables practitioners to facilitate the Solihull Approach course for foster carers ‘Understanding your foster child’.
This course is often used as a foundation course for all foster carers in an area. The course provides a framework, so that past and future knowledge can be integrated into an understanding of the foster child. The model is intended to support a lifelong skill and can be applied to various types of foster placements. It was designed to support the foster carer/child relationship. It helps the foster carer to customise behaviour management and to support the child to regulate themselves. The Solihull Approach Foster Carer Course consists of 12 sessions.
The course sessions are:
Session 1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Introduction to the Solihull Approach Foster Carer Course
Session 2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Brain Development
Session 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Containment
Session 4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Reciprocity
Session 5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Introduction to attachment
Session 6                                Understanding your child’s behaviour
Session 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Different styles of parenting
Session 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Spending time together
Session 9 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Rhythm of interaction and sleep
Session 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Self-regulation and anger
Session 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Communication and attunement/Rupture and repair
Session 12 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Celebration
For published research on the effects of this course see the Research list. An initial evaluation by Brown (2013) of foster carers attending the Solihull Approach course found a reported reduction of hyperactivity in their foster children. A study by Madigan et al. (2017) suggested that the course helped prevent unplanned placement breakdowns. A further study has been submitted for publication.
For more details, see training.