ACT Together Training

As a kinship carer in Canberra, ACT Together should be your first port of call for training. They organise a range of training days, workshops and courses for their carers. Each training session is presented by Australian Childrens Foundation therapeutic specialists, working under the consortium of ACT Together.

These opportunities are good because they are usually run in small groups consisting of other carers. Some groups will cater for only kinship or foster carers, while some are mixed.

Some topics run in the past include: Kinship Care Training (the basics), Parenting with PACE, Trauma Informed Parenting, Self-harm Behaviours, Circle of Security. To find out about upcoming training, contact your Carer Support Worker.

Unfortunately there are a number of downsides to training courses with ACT Together. Firstly they usually only run during the school day, which can make it difficult for carers who work, to attend, without taking time off. They also don’t run training nearly as often as I think they should. Carers, especially new carers, may have to wait for over a year to get some of this training, most of which would be useful right from the start. A minimum number is required to run the courses too, and they get cancelled if the numbers are not reached.

I firmly believe that foster agencies need to be more flexible and regular in their training schedules, and run training even if only one carer signs up. Making the training more accessible, such as more sessions at nights and weekends, or via online meetings would also assist in engaging carers.