Hope and healing

The Hope and healing framework - Queensland's trauma-informed framework to support foster carers in their caring work with children, young people and their families (Hope and healing framework for foster care) sets out the foundation for supporting children and young people in foster care in a way that understands and responds to trauma-related needs and other complex needs and is therapeutic in approach.

The Hope and Healing Framework for Foster care also provides the overarching framework for the Hope and healing foster carer training.

The Hope and healing for foster care consists of 10 modules available as both an online self-paced learning environment for foster carers as well as an offline setting for in person delivery when required by agencies.

The training modules form part of the mandatory Starting Out training all foster carers complete during their first 12 months as an approved carer in line with the foster carer training guidelines.

For new foster carers (carer with an initial approval post 31 May 2022) who are at the beginning of their mandatory Starting Out training are to complete Hope and healing for foster care in the first 12 months of their carer approval.

Foster carers who have already completed or were part way through their Starting Out training when Hope and healing for foster care was introduced (foster carers with initial approval in 2021) were prioritised to support completion prior to 31 May 2023. Foster carers are encouraged to undertake the new training, however foster carer renewals are not to be delayed while carers seek to complete this training. For any foster carer still undertaking Hope and healing for foster care at the time of their renewal, a plan for the completion of Hope and healing is to be documented in a carer's renewal assessment.

Foster carers who had already completed Starting Out training prior to Hope and healing for foster care being introduced (carers with initial approval in 2020), have until 31 May 2024 to complete the training.

For any experienced foster carers, their agency can determine if recognition of prior learning (RPL) would be more appropriate to completing Hope and healing for foster care. Please refer to the Foster carer training guidelines ((PDF, 336 KB)) Foster carer training guidelines ((DOCX, 133 KB)) Part 7 for more information on the RPL guidelines.

Carers access to Hope and healing training and consideration of RPL will be provided by their foster and kinship care agency.

Further information is also available via this link PeakCare Queensland