Press Release: Skyrocketing to improved foster care
Three well established not-for-profit fostering organisations have come together in a groundbreaking move to improve fostering standards across the sector.
The Foster Care Co-operative, The Children’s Family Trust and Community Foster Care have joined forces in an unprecedented move to offer unique training that will cut costs and fully prepare foster care staff for the unique task of managing a fostering organisation.
‘Skyrocket’ is the resulting joint venture.
There is an abundance of very good ‘one size fits all’ management courses available – but nothing that actually prepares foster care managers for the unique task of running a foster care organisation. Managers often have to struggle and learn the specifics of their role as they go.
Skyrocket’s driving focus is to ensure that the key elements of regulation, administration, contracting, leadership and HR are delivered within the context of fostering.
Recognising the reality that time for Fostering Managers is very limited, it was agreed to provide an approach that delivered key priorities, aide-memoires and signposted resources, in order to deliver a Fostering Registered Manager’s ‘toolkit’ for future reference.
This approach is targeted towards potential or newly appointed Registered Managers, and shares and develops the experience of those in post. The entire course has been designed, and will be delivered, by experienced current Registered Managers and Fostering Chief Executives to meet the needs they know are required.
Additionally, the course provides senior business managers within an agency the opportunity to understand the structure and challenges that a Registered Manager faces.
Attendees leave having developed insights, strategies and a professional peer group within the course, with a clear framework of fostering managerial skills. The CEOs also offer a confidential free six month mentorship to any participant who wishes to benefit from the opportunity.
For further individual skills development, Skyrocket also offers one day extension courses that concentrate on single subject areas such as contract tendering, HR and business management.
Ian Brazier, Executive Director of The Foster Care Co-operative, said: “What makes this venture unique is the alliance of three not-for-profit fostering organisations who, by the very nature of their ethical objectives, are working together to improve standards across the fostering sector. The course has been written by managers, for managers.”
Funds raised from Skyrocket are ploughed back into providing more foster carer support across the three agencies, as per their other income streams.
**ENDS**
About Skyrocket
Skyrocket is a joint venture between three not-for-profit fostering organisations – The Foster Care Co-operative, The Children’s Family Trust and Community Foster Care – who have come together to offer training courses designed specifically for fostering managers and employees.
