Training, support, and development standards (TSD)

All foster carers are required to complete the Training Support and Development Standards (NMS 20.3). Most foster carers are required to complete this within 12 months of approval. However, kinship/ family and friends foster carers have 18 months to complete following their approval.

There are separate workbook and portfolio requirements for foster carers, kinship/ family and friends foster carers, and short break foster carers. We have listed these workbooks at the bottom of this page. Check with your supervising social worker if you are unsure which workbook to complete.

Fostering households may jointly use the same evidence workbook, so do not need to complete this individually. However, fostering services may wish to see evidence of engagement by both carers.

The Training, Support and Development (TSD) standards form part of your induction in the role. They provide a national minimum benchmark that sets out what foster carers should know, understand, and be able to do, within the first 12-18 months after being approved.

You can present your evidence in a range of ways. The most important thing is that you evidence all of the standards under each of the headings. The TSD standards are part of the Ofsted inspection criteria and are part of the National Minimum Standards, too. Supervisors play a key role helping foster carers complete the TSD standards. Foster carers may be unsure of what’s expected of them, or feel overwhelmed, especially if they’ve not undertaken any qualifications in recent years. However, there are a lot of useful case studies and examples online, and your fostering service may set up a group for likeminded carers completing their workbook.

TSD Workbooks

Follow the links below to see the workbooks provided by the Department for Education.

DfE workbook for foster carers DfE workbook for kinship carers DfE workbook for short break carers

Useful pages

TSD Workbooks

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