FOSTER HOME APPROVAL PROCESS
Foster caregiving is rewarding but not without its unique challenges. Foster children are often full of conflicting emotions about being in foster care. For example, they may simultaneously feel both guilt and relief for being removed from their families. You can support them as they experience these emotions – but don’t worry. We’re here to help.
We offer foster caregivers many training modules to give them the confidence to handle most situations.
The PRIDE Pre-Service training program helps perspective foster caregivers gain a greater appreciation of what it means to care for a child who is unable to live with his or her own family, the situations you’ll face as a foster caregiver and the child welfare system in general.
After you get approved, and start fostering children, there are many more modules that will help you further develop your knowledge and foster caregiving skills.
PRIDE Training Module Descriptions
- The Foundation for Meeting the Developmental Needs of Children at Risk
Duration: 12 hrs.
The knowledge and skills developed during the four sessions of this module are critical to successfully fulfilling any caregiving role. The competencies addressed include assessing and building self-esteem, understanding behavior, and developing effective interpersonal skills. These sessions are designed to illustrate how to connect one’s understanding of self-esteem and the meaning of behavior to the use of effective communication skills and the discipline process.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Using Discipline to Protect, Nurture & Meet Developmental Needs
Duration: 9 hrs.
The purpose of Module 2 is to increase our understanding of the importance of discipline in meeting developmental needs, and to provide some concrete techniques and skills we can use to manage behavior effectively. Building on the concepts presented and skills developed in Module 1, the three sessions in this module focus on proactive and reactive approaches to using discipline to protect, nurture and advance children’s development. For those Resource Families who have completed modules 1 and 2 and are interested in further optional training, the following modules are available:
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Addressing Developmental Issues Related to Sexuality
Duration: 3 hrs.
This module, consisting of one three-hour session, provides information on normal sexual development and behavior in children and youth, identifies factors which indicate problematic sexual behavior, and outlines techniques for educating children about sexuality.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Responding to the Signs and Symptoms of Sexual Abuse
Duration: 6 hrs.
This module consists of two sessions. The first session is intended to increase the participants understanding of sexual abuse, while the second session is focused on assisting foster caregivers to respond effectively to the issues of sexual abuse. You must have completed Module 3 to register for Module 4.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Supporting Relationships Between Children and Their Birth Families
Duration: 9 hrs.
The objectives of this module are to help foster caregivers understand the importance of the child’s family relationships, to develop skills to support these relationships, and to provide ways for participants to share the caregivers role and to help birth parents.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Working as a Professional Team Member
Duration: 9 hrs.
This module provides foster caregivers and staff with an understanding of how the professional team works on behalf of children and families. The three sessions include information and skill development related to teamwork, the tasks of foster caregivers as professional team members, and conflict management.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Promoting Children’s Personal and Cultural Identity
Duration: 6 hrs.
This module addresses the meaning of culture, cultural competence and the impact of culture on self esteem, how to incorporate the child’s culture and traditions into daily life, managing the diverse traditions within the family, and the importance of recording the child’s life story in a way that promotes a positive sense of identity.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Managing the Fostering Experience
See the PRIDE training schedule.
Duration: 9 hrs.
This module examines the impact of placement on the foster family. Participants explore ways to manage the changes, transitions, and challenges they will face. They consider how they might manage the impact of abuse and neglect allegations, the importance of safeguarding, documentation, and the Protocol for Investigation of Allegations of Abuse in a Foster Home.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Understanding and Promoting Infant & Child Development
Duration: 6 hrs.
There is a growing body of knowledge in child development that provides more hope than ever that children - even those who have experienced significant trauma - can be helped to achieve their developmental goals. We will explore basic concepts in child development, research that supports these, and how these concepts shape our approach to providing care for these infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Understanding and Promoting Preteen & Teen Development
Duration: 6 hrs.
This module addresses key developmental tasks of pre-teens and teens, barriers and challenges to healthy development that youth in family foster care are likely to experience, and how this ultimately impacts the youth’s ability to successfully transition to adulthood. The participants are also guided to develop strategies to promote resilience and healthy development.
See the PRIDE training schedule.
- Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence
Duration: 9 hrs.
This Advanced and Specialized training module provides a basis for understanding the dynamics of domestic violence, including why victims often remain with their abusers, the connection between domestic violence and child abuse, the impact of domestic violence on children, and strategies for caregiving for children who have experienced domestic violence. Prerequisites for this training: P.R.I.D.E. Core Modules 1, 2, 11 &12. P.R.I.D.E. Module Overview
See the PRIDE training schedule.
Other courses include Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training, which teaches you how to spot the stages of crisis development and the appropriate response, and The Sensitivity Training Program for Foster Families, which teaches families how to respect and value the diversity of the children they are caring for.
