UK’s first university-led Therapeutic Fostering course to strengthen foster care support across East of England
By: Communications
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is set to launch a ‘Therapeutic Fostering’ programme, the first course of its type in the UK, offered at Higher Education (HE) level.
Designed specifically for local authority foster carers in the East of England, this innovative course aims to enhance the care and support available to children who have experienced trauma, while providing a Level 4 qualification.
With more than 7,000 children in the care of their local authority in the East of England, and 150 more children coming into care every month, there is an urgent need to equip foster carers with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools needed to understand and respond effectively to the complex behaviours of those they support.
Therapeutic fostering is a type of foster care which recognises and supports young people and children who may have dealt with trauma, abuse or a severe disruption to their lives. It is an approach that sees relationships – particularly with caregivers – as being central to helping young people to live with and manage the trauma they have experienced.
Dr Mark Gregory (above), Director of Continuing Professional Development, said:
“Foster carers look after children and young people who have experienced significant trauma, so their ability to understand the impact of trauma on children and young people's behaviour is crucial.
“This course has been designed to help foster carers to understand trauma-related behaviour through a therapeutic lens, so that they have the tools needed to build and maintain supportive relationships with children and young people in their care.”
Aaron and Frankie Head, who are both foster carers, highlight the importance of therapeutic fostering in connecting with young people during their most challenging moments:
“It has allowed us to create space for their traumas to be aired and expressed, whilst providing opportunities for us to 're-parent' them and give those corrective experiences which help them to heal. It's provided opportunities to help them understand themselves and remove the stigma and shame from trauma behaviours they have exhibited.
“At times, fostering (or raising any traumatised child or young person) can be extremely challenging and a personally taxing mission. Remaining therapeutic allows us to get to the root of behaviours and fuel ourselves with understanding of their experiences and subsequent needs. This has ultimately equipped us to continue through the 'trauma trenches' at times and treat ourselves with gentleness and compassion too.”
This two-year part-time programme (which starts in September 2025) is equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree, aimed at individuals who have already completed at least 80 hours of relevant training and wish to deepen their knowledge further.
Image: Dr Mark Gregory introducing the Secure Base model, which was developed at the Centre for Research on Children and Families at UEA
Developed by UEA’s School of Social Work in collaboration with Foster East, a UK government-funded initiative aimed at improving foster carer recruitment and support, graduates will receive a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) in Therapeutic Fostering upon completion of the course.
Prof Christine Cocker, Head of UEA’s School of Social Work, said:
“The School of Social Work and the Centre for Research on Children and Families has a well-established reputation for world-leading research in this field. This is a great opportunity for foster carers in the East of England to benefit from this expertise.
“We are excited to be expanding our educational offer beyond our qualifying and post-qualifying social work programmes to other individuals involved in providing care and support to children and young people.”
Foster East received initial funding from the Department for Education as part of their pilot programme, and is funding a total of 50 places on the course, with the first cohort of 25 local authority foster carers starting in September 2025 and the second in September 2026.
This opportunity is for foster carers who work with one of the 11 local authorities (LAs) in the area covered by Foster East.
Sara Tough OBE, Director of Children’s Services for Norfolk County Council and lead authority for Foster East, said:
“Foster carers receive a wide range of training from their local authority to equip them for this essential role. This new course from the UEA will enable local authority foster carers to take their understanding of trauma-informed care to a deeper level, and provide them with a recognised, professional qualification in fostering.”
In future, the course will expand to be offered nationally, to ensure that foster carers from other local authorities can benefit from the high-quality learning on offer. This will also guarantee long-term sustainability for the course, opening it up to the more than 57,000 approved foster carers in England.
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