Course Review
“The Bear Force course is an outstanding resource for foster carers looking to make a meaningful difference in the lives of foster children. By focusing on emotional intelligence and resilience, the course equips carers with practical, easy-to-apply tools that nurture children’s mental well-being and foster strong, trusting relationships.”
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One of the course’s greatest strengths is its simplicity and clarity. It offers actionable strategies—like active listening, co-regulation, and using stories to help children articulate their emotions—that can be seamlessly integrated into daily interactions. These tools empower foster carers to create safe, supportive environments where children feel heard, validated, and understood.
The emphasis on developing self-awareness is also invaluable, helping carers reflect on their own perspectives and how they engage with children in sensitive and thoughtful ways. Additionally, the focus on safeguarding ensures carers are fully equipped to recognise and respond to concerns, making this course a holistic guide for fostering healthy minds.
This course is more than just training—it’s an investment in the future of foster children and society. It leaves carers feeling empowered, inspired, and confident in their ability to support children’s emotional growth. Highly recommended for anyone involved in fostering!
Andy Dolman
Andy Dolman, Foster Carer
ABOUT THE COURSE
Foundations for Life: Strategies to support children’s everyday mental health
The course is designed to enhance your understanding and ability to support children’s emotional intelligence and resilience.
The Bear Force charity’s success lies in its simplicity. Its work is to help provide adults with simple tools and skills that helps to foster the healthy minds of children.
By developing the skills of caregivers so that they can support young children, we help to build the foundations of a stronger society tomorrow.
This course is not about counselling or therapy although it is therapeutic. The skills you will learn will help you enhance your understanding and ability to support children’s mental wellbeing on a daily basis as they grow up.
You will also learn how to help children verbalise and articulate their emotions, something that young children find hard to do, and learn how to create environments where children feel safe to talk and integrate age-appropriate emotional support that will foster trusting relationships with children.
The course aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Differentiate the course from therapy and understand your role in the successful engagement of children
- Develop active listening skills to truly hear and understand children’s perspectives.
- Recognise how to validate children’s own experiences and emotions.
- Evaluate your own frame of reference and important self-awareness.
- Understand the concept of self and co-regulation in creating safe environments for children.
- Learn how to allow children space to process emotions internally and respond at their own pace.
- Understand how to use reading to engage with children and help them identify and express their feelings. (Course includes link to free digital copy of the Bear Force book).
- Learn how to identify safeguarding concerns and understand the protocol for reporting safeguarding concerns.
Structure of the course:
Lessons:
- Foundations for life: Strategies to support children’s everyday mental health
- Approach Learning Outcomes
- Module 1: Understanding the Active Listening Approach
- Module 2: Active Listening and Child Engagement
- Module 3: Self-Awareness and Reflective Practice
- Module 4 Engaging Children using the Bear Force Storybook
- Module 5: Safeguarding
Course FAQ’s:
Do I get a certificate? Yes, a certificate is issued on successful completion.
How long will the course take to complete? The course takes around 3 hours.
How much is the course? An individual course is £49.95. For discounts on purchases of 10 courses or more please contact us at: enquires@bearforce.org.uk