Support that
truly cares.

Children may receive many presents, very few, or none at all. The number of gifts does not tell us what a child’s family feels or intends, and it does not tell us how the child feels. This course explores how foster and kinship parents can respond with care, curiosity and respect.

Through a podcast and practical activities, you’ll consider how to listen to the child without pressuring them, manage gifts and belongings fairly, check relevant arrangements, and record what you see and hear separately from your interpretations. You’ll also practise responding when a hoped-for present does not arrive, while avoiding assumptions about family members’ motives.

The course supports thoughtful conversations, respectful record keeping and practical decisions that keep the child’s wishes and relationships in mind.

Children and young people develop in many different ways, and no two developmental journeys look exactly the same. This course helps learners understand how development unfolds across childhood and adolescence, while staying grounded in the everyday realities of caring for, teaching or supporting children and young people.

Rather than feeling like a textbook, this course teaches through the stories of four children and young people at different stages of development. Through short podcast-style conversations and interactive activities, learners explore what adults might notice, what might be going on developmentally, how to respond in supportive ways, and when it may be right to seek further advice.

Across the course, learners will build a practical understanding of:

• physical development
• speech, language and communication
• cognitive development and learning
• social and emotional development
• self-regulation and executive functioning
• adaptive skills, independence and preparing for adulthood
• developmental differences, uneven development and support needs
• when concerns may need professional advice, assessment or a safeguarding response

The course includes stories about a baby, a preschool child, a primary-aged child and a teenager, helping learners explore topics such as developmental milestones, play, multilingual development, speech and language, working memory, emotional regulation, adolescent development and independence. It also looks at what may shape development, including health, disability, neurodivergence, hearing, vision, sleep, relationships, stress, adversity, poverty and access to support.

Learners will be encouraged to stay curious rather than jump to conclusions. The course does not ask people to diagnose children. Instead, it helps them notice clearly, respond thoughtfully and understand when to speak to the right professional.

The term honeymoon period is sometimes used in fostering when a child seems especially agreeable, helpful or keen to share an adult’s interests after coming to live in a new home. But there is no single pattern. Some children may seem unsettled from the start, while others may show different feelings or behaviour over time.

This course explores how adults can respond without assuming what a child’s behaviour means. You’ll practise noticing your own feelings and expectations, separating what you observe from what you’re interpreting, and staying curious about what the child might be experiencing. Through practical scenarios, you’ll consider how predictable routines, genuine choices, low-pressure connection and support from others can help during a period of change.

The course is for Foster Parents, Kinship Carers, Residential Staff and Supported Lodgings. It does not treat the honeymoon period as a universal stage or as proof that a child is hiding feelings or testing whether adults are safe.

Bullying can be hard to spot and even harder to talk about. This practical course helps adults notice patterns, listen to a young person’s account and respond calmly.

Through realistic scenarios, you’ll practise making an accurate record, agreeing steps to improve safety, and responding when a young person may be causing harm. You’ll also consider when a response needs to change, including in situations involving threats, discrimination or sexual images, and how to check whether the support is helping.

Designed for Parents, Foster Parents, Kinship Carers, Residential Staff, Supported Lodgings and Teachers. 

Gambling-related harm can affect a child through their own activity or someone else’s gambling. This course explores the differences between gaming purchases, paid random rewards and betting, and helps you recognise when spending, distress or pressure needs attention.

Through interactive activities, a podcast and short films, you will practise supportive conversations, clear recording and proportionate safeguarding responses. Role-specific examples and UK nation-aware support routes help you apply the learning to your responsibilities.

Speaking up when something doesn't feel right can be difficult, especially when the concern involves someone you work with, trust or rely upon for support. But raising concerns about unsafe practice is an important part of keeping children safe.

In this interactive course, you'll explore what whistleblowing means in fostering, how it differs from making a complaint or raising a safeguarding concern, and what to do when something has been reported but the risk remains.

Through realistic conversations, unfolding situations, swipeable decisions and interactive activities, you'll practise recognising concerns, keeping accurate records, choosing appropriate reporting routes and knowing when to escalate.

You'll also explore confidentiality, the legal protections that may apply, and where to find independent advice. The course recognises that fostering arrangements and reporting procedures differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

By the end, you'll feel better equipped to speak up, protect children's interests and know where to turn when your concerns aren't being heard.

You don't need to have all the answers before raising a reasonable concern. Sometimes, speaking up is how we begin to find them.