How Often Is Foster and Kinship Carer Training Updated in Queensland?

Training is a vital part of supporting foster and kinship carers in Queensland. It helps carers understand trauma, build skills, and create safe, nurturing environments for children and young people in care. But how often is this training updated and why does it matter? Put simply: training needs to keep pace with real-world practice, new evidence, and changes to policy so carers are never working with outdated guidance.

Children in care often have complex emotional, behavioural, and developmental needs. Many have experienced loss, disrupted attachments, or trauma, and their needs may shift over time. As research evolves and best practice guidance strengthens, carer training must reflect what works today not what worked five or ten years ago. Keeping training current also supports consistency across agencies and helps carers feel confident when they’re navigating systems, participating in case planning, or advocating for a child’s wellbeing.

Training updates may respond to:

• New insights into trauma-informed care and therapeutic responses
• Updated legislation, child protection policy, and practice expectations
• Emerging risks (for example, cyberbullying, online safety, and digital boundaries)
• Cultural safety and inclusion practices, including working respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families
• Feedback from carers and young people with lived experience

In practice, this means training is not “set and forget.” It is refined so carers can respond to children’s behaviour with empathy, apply consistent routines, understand safety planning, and access the right supports early before stress and burnout build.

In Queensland, foster and kinship carer training is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant, practical, and aligned to current expectations. Updates may occur when policy changes, when new evidence becomes widely accepted, or when feedback shows a topic needs clearer guidance. While different training streams may be refreshed on different timelines, the overall approach is continuous improvement—so content remains useful for both new carers and experienced carers taking on new placement types.

• Starting Out training modules are revised in partnership with Queensland Foster and Kinship Care (QFKC). This helps ensure the modules reflect current legislation, trauma-informed practice, and the lived experience of carers.
• Hope and Healing, which underpins therapeutic care training, may be updated to align with contemporary trauma research and child development theory, so carers understand the “why” behind behaviour and the “how” of supportive responses.
• The Child Safety Practice Manual is continuously revised to reflect changes in policy, legislation, and practice standards. This can include updates to case planning approaches, cultural safety expectations, and clarity around roles and responsibilities.

Because practice guidance can change, it’s helpful for carers to treat training as an ongoing toolkit: a way to refresh knowledge, build confidence, and stay aligned with how services are delivered across Queensland.

Carers are usually notified of training updates through their agency channels and the Department of Child Safety’s communication pathways. This might include newsletters, email updates, or learning portal announcements. Many carers also learn about new modules through peer networks and support groups, which can be a practical way to share what’s changed and how to apply it in day-to-day caring.

Carers may hear about updates through:

• Their foster and kinship care agency
• The Department of Child Safety’s website and newsletters
• Online learning platforms (such as a Carer Learning Portal)
• Peer networks, support groups, and carer community forums

Carers are encouraged to complete continuous learning modules throughout their approval period. Learning plans can be tailored to individual needs, placement types, and the child’s circumstances. Even short refreshers can make a big difference—especially when carers are supporting a child through transition, school changes, contact arrangements, or complex emotional regulation needs.

Starting Out Training Modules – Queensland Government

Case Planning – Child Safety Practice Manual