Author: Parkinson, Emma

Payment for Skills Progression Guidance
The training and development journey will be a personal experience for every carer. Trafford’s ‘Skills Progression’ provides details of the minimum requirements in relation to training and development as well as opportunity for carers to progress from induction to being ‘Fostering Ambassadors’ at level 5. The aspiration of the training pathway is to reward those carers who take an active interest in their training and development as carers and to support carers in being able to provide a safe and secure base for vulnerable children.
Progression
All general carers will start on Skills band 2 as they have completed the ‘skills to foster’ training prior to assessment, once family and friends carers have completed the ‘skills to foster’ training they will automatically be uplifted to band 2. Carers can progress through the skills bands annually, the foster carers annual review being the forum to outline how carers have met the required standards to be able to progress to the next skills band. Evidence of commitment to training and development can come from a range of experiences including: attending Trafford’s foster carers training courses, attending Trafford Safeguarding Training, attendance at other relevant training programmes, E-Learning or personal research. Progression to the next skill band is subject to satisfactory completion of the requirements listed within the ‘Payment for Skills Progression document’ and verified by supportive comments which can come from; the child(ren) in placement, the child’s social workers, Supervising Social Workers and reflective comments from carers about their capacity to care for children.
The skills for payments structure is designed to be progressive in rewarding carers that have shown commitment to their learning and development and have integrated this learning into their caring. Carers who have let their training and development lapse will be encouraged to address this by their supervising social worker to develop an action plan within their ‘personal development plan’ to re-invigorate their training, ultimately if this persists then regrettably carers can drop down a skills band, but can of course progress again once the required training is completed. Decision about skills progression/dropping down are based on the recommendation from the supervising social worker but the final discretion of the team leader/manager.
Please discuss any of your training needs with your Supervising Social Worker or the Family placement Team Training Officer. Good Luck