An introduction to PACE: the importance of connection

What is this course about?

This course introduces the transformative principles of PACE: Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy. PACE is a core principle of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), a therapeutic approach for families with children who have experienced developmental trauma, developed by Dr. Dan Hughes.

PACE helps you build deeper emotional connections with children, creating the trust and safety they need to heal from developmental trauma. Through this training, you’ll learn how to better understand children’s behaviours, respond with confidence, and create stronger, more secure relationships that help children to feel secure, understood, and support them to thrive.

Learn from trusted experts

This course is delivered by Nancy Magon and Ange Durling, Practice Consultants at The Fostering Network.

As qualified social workers with extensive frontline experience, they bring deep, practical knowledge of supporting fostering families using PACE, ensuring the training provides a balance of theory and practice based knowledge and experience. 

Why join this training?

Deepen your understanding of trauma
Explore how trauma affects brain development, attachment, and behaviour—and why children respond the way they do.

Build therapeutic skills that make a difference
Gain practical strategies to support children in feeling safe, settled, and supported in their recovery.

Feel more confident in challenging moments
Learn tools to respond calmly and effectively, reducing stress and improving outcomes for both you and the child.

Invest in your professional development
Develop specialist knowledge in therapeutic parenting and trauma-informed care for those working across fostering, social care, and education.

What will you learn?

• How trauma shapes children’s development, behaviour, and emotional responses
• Practical ways to apply PACE in everyday caregiving
• Techniques for therapeutic communication—even during distress or challenging behaviour
• How to move beyond behaviour management to meet underlying emotional needs
• Strategies to strengthen relationships and build trust
• Tools for your own emotional regulation and self-care

Who is this training for?

This course is ideal for:

• Foster carers and kinship carers
• Supervising social workers and fostering practitioners
• Fostering services looking to develop their trauma-informed practice

Other dates available:

• 28 September 2026

Booking details:

Book during Foster Care Fortnight 2026 for a 20% discount. This offer is available until Sunday 24 May 2026

Member rate £110 plus VAT

Non-member rate £149 plus VAT

This course will be delivered via Zoom, registration will begin at 9:15, confirmed delegates will be sent joining instructions by email a few days before the course start date.

For more information contact [email protected] or speak to your fostering service about funding a place on this course. 

View our cancellation policy