Foster Care Training

This training will help participants understand the basics of healthy communication. They will learn about skills needed to communicate assertively and set healthy boundaries. They will also learn how the brain responds to anger and how to identify signs that anger is escalating. Participants will learn communication strategies as well as long term communication skills which can be taught to system-involved youth to help prevent anger outbursts and promote health communication and relationship outcomes for system-involved youth. Finally, participants will learn what behaviors and dynamics hinder healthy communication so that these can be addressed within affected system-involved youth and their families.

This training will challenge participants to describe their core beliefs and philosophies when working with youth and to discuss how those beliefs impact their interactions with the children they serve. The training will provide participants with opportunities to review counseling frameworks that could improve safety, and connectedness of youth while supporting them in learning new skills that will be sustainable and translatable to any environment.

[This course is from 9AM-4:30PM] This is a live instructor-led remote course, with pre-requisites to complete before the course date. Instructors will email you in advance of the course date with additional details to complete pre-work online. Mental Health First Aid is a certification course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. The content is applicable for supporting any person, however special emphasis will be […]

This training, facilitated fully in Spanish-Language, aims to equip those who support system-involved youth and families with the knowledge and skills of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application in the context of the Stages of Change. Participants will learn how to effectively engage, support and empower system-involved youth and families at different stages of change, especially within the process of identifying strengths and needs and well as service and support planning efforts. Through interactive exercises, case studies and role-plays, participants will enhance their ability to apply MI techniques and facilitate positive behavior change in this unique population. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, […]

This course offers professionals a comprehensive understanding of Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles and their practical application in supporting individuals experiencing depression within system-involved populations. With a specific focus on youth navigating systems such as the criminal justice system or foster care, participants will delve into the unique challenges these individuals face and learn how MI can serve as a powerful tool for fostering motivation and change. Throughout the session, participants will explore the core principles of MI, including empathy, discrepancy, resistance, and self-efficacy, tailored to the context of working with depressed, system-involved youth. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and role-playing exercises, participants will gain hands-on experience in applying MI techniques […]

This training will explore the effects of trauma and stress and strategies for regulation. As helping professionals we see how dysregulation can impact a youth’s ability to learn, have healthy relationships and be their best selves. This training will review the neurosicence behind the stress/trauma response including explanations of hyperoursal, hypo arousal and the window of tolerance. The trainer will provide tools to explore the importance of developing emotional vocabulary and sensory awareness with youth in order to identify the regulation tools that will be effective for them. Multiple strategies for increasing regulation will be shared. Strategies will be shared that can be used with youth and families to explain […]

As incidents of childhood bullying increase across the country, adults must learn and gain skills to recognize bullying behavior and to support those who feel the need to engage in bullying behavior. This workshop focuses on defining bullying behavior, types of bullying, and the factors that may influence and contribute to the development of bullying behavior. Participants will explore how childhood development (social, cognitive) and brain development influences negative behaviors. In addition, concepts and activities related to bullying prevention will be discussed.

Some system-involved youth demonstrate impulsive and aggressive behaviors. This training will provide an overview of disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disruptions including their prevalence and what these behaviors look like. Participants will learn how to support youth experiencing impulse control and conduct disruptions as well as to work with caregivers to best support them. Register Here

As professionals we are often invited to slip into conversations about the people who consult us when they are not present. This training will focus on the real and possible effects of these second, or dual, dialogues. Participants will read and discuss a brief article written by Johnella Bird (“Professional Talk”) that outlines the dangers of this dual dialogue.

Providers for foster youth are exposed to direct and indirect instances of trauma and conflict. In this training, participants will engage in activities that promote relationship-building and skills for addressing vicarious and secondary trauma reactions. Participants will learn how to build healthy relationships with caregivers, youth and service providers. This training will promote collaboration to enhance service delivery.

This training is a reflective and interactive session designed to help program staff support youth in service delivery by exploring core concepts of culture, identity, and ethnicity. Through identity mapping, real-life scenarios, and culturally responsive tools, participants deepen their self-awareness and learn how to engage youth with cultural humility. Techniques include group dialogue, role-play, and guided reflection—grounded in principles of cultural humility and inclusion.

This training, facilitated fully in Spanish-Language, aims to equip those who support system-involved youth and families with the knowledge and skills of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application in the context of the Stages of Change. Participants will learn how to effectively engage, support and empower system-involved youth and families at different stages of change, especially within the process of identifying strengths and needs and well as service and support planning efforts. Through interactive exercises, case studies and role-plays, participants will enhance their ability to apply MI techniques and facilitate positive behavior change in this unique population. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, […]

With a growing awareness of trauma and its impact on an individual, we are learning that we need to not only consider what has happened in the individual’s lifetime but need to also consider what happened in the lives of previous generations in their families. Working with foster youth can be challenging given the generational patterns of trauma, poverty, incarceration, etc. So, it’s essential for providers to understand generational trauma and how to work with foster youth from a generational perspective. Without this perspective, we can have unrealistic expectations for youth and their families and encounter barriers to engagement. This training will highlight examples of generational trauma amongst Native families, […]

How we begin to form and shape our understanding of ourselves, our surroundings, our values and beliefs are influenced heavily by the people who predominantly raised us, the institutions we attended and the kind of media we were exposed to. This cycle of socialization can be applied to how we think of our gender, our race/ethnicity, culture, etc and the intersectionality of so many identities. This course provides participants with a thorough examination of how we have been socialized in terms of our gender and dissect what is socially constructed. Participants will do self-reflective explorations around their own personal gender story, reflecting on their socialization around gender roles, expressions, influences. […]

Part 2 of Crisis Prevention Intervention focuses on building a stronger foundation in Crisis Prevention Interventions. This phase of training will enhance participants’ ability to apply these strategies effectively in real-world situations. The emphasis will be on identifying early warning signs and taking proactive steps to de-escalate potential crises before they turn violent. Additionally, the training will cover advanced communication techniques and strategies for staying calm and in control during high-pressure moments. Participants will also learn how to maintain the integrity of their professional relationships while ensuring the safety of themselves and those they care for. This well-rounded approach prepares human service professionals to effectively navigate the challenges of working […]

This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.

Some caregivers of system-involved youth have struggled or are struggling with substance use. It’s important for providers, foster parents/resource families and natural supports to understand the impact caregiver substance use has on youth in care’s development. This training will provide an overview of how caregiver substance use impacts youths’ physical development, social development, academic development and emotional development. Providers, foster parents/resource families and natural supports will learn strategies for how to support system-involved youth when caregiver substance use is prevalent. Register Here

This training, facilitated fully in Spanish-Language, aims to equip those who support system-involved youth and families with the knowledge and skills of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application in the context of the Stages of Change. Participants will learn how to effectively engage, support and empower system-involved youth and families at different stages of change, especially within the process of identifying strengths and needs and well as service and support planning efforts. Through interactive exercises, case studies and role-plays, participants will enhance their ability to apply MI techniques and facilitate positive behavior change in this unique population. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, […]

The speaker discusses the many risks that youth especially those in foster care may encounter in their communities, schools, churches, on social media, and at public events, with a particular focus on the threat of commercial sexual exploitation. Foster parents will gain practical strategies to help keep youth safe, including how to talk with them about these dangers, teach them to recognize warning signs, and ensure strong, consistent supervision. The session also emphasizes the importance of building trust and maintaining open communication to help youth feel supported and protected.

This training is designed to prepare resource families to work with youth in the foster care system. Participants will receive a better understanding of the foster care system structure and explore how to provide a well-planned, safe, and secure environment designed to meet children’s individual and unique needs, and how to create an environment that promotes children’s social emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Participants will continue to review; Interim Licensing Standard, Child Growth and Development, Medication Guidelines, Discipline, Working with Biological Families and understanding the Effects of Trauma.

With a growing awareness of trauma and its impact on an individual, we are learning that we need to not only consider what has happened in the individual’s lifetime but need to also consider what happened in the lives of previous generations in their families. Working with foster youth can be challenging given the generational patterns of trauma, poverty, incarceration, etc. So, it’s essential for providers to understand generational trauma and how to work with foster youth from a generational perspective. Without this perspective, we can have unrealistic expectations for youth and their families and encounter barriers to engagement. This training will highlight examples of generational trauma amongst Native families, […]

Some system-involved youth demonstrate impulsive and aggressive behaviors. This training will provide an overview of disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disruptions including their prevalence and what these behaviors look like. Participants will learn how to support youth experiencing impulse control and conduct disruptions as well as to work with caregivers to best support them. Register Here

Some foster youth exhibit loss of reality features whether they experience auditory or visual hallucinations, paranoia or other delusions. It’s important for social service providers working with system-involved youth to understand the different circumstances associated with neurosis and how to effectively support them. This training will equip you with skills to work with youth suffering from complexes. Register Here

Attachment is greatly influenced by one’s caregiving. Given the amount of trauma system-involved youth and transitional age youth experience, it’s important to understand attachment. It’s also important for social service providers to understand how attachment patterns impact relationships as youth age. Join us as we talk about how early attachment affects relationships later in life. Register Here

The purpose of this training is to create a renewed and heightened awareness of boundary issues in work with foster youth. Having boundaries is not just a matter of being professional. Appropriate boundaries are a key ingredient in providing the children in our care with the highest quality of care, which often times requires us to build trusting and healing relationships with them. Frequently the relationships we build with clients can have ambiguous boundaries, making it important to develop an awareness of possible danger signs for boundary issues that might result in poor practice or which might be red flags for potential exploitation of clients.

Some caregivers of system-involved youth have struggled or are struggling with substance use. It’s important for providers, foster parents/resource families and natural supports to understand the impact caregiver substance use has on youth in care’s development. This training will provide an overview of how caregiver substance use impacts youths’ physical development, social development, academic development and emotional development. Providers, foster parents/resource families and natural supports will learn strategies for how to support system-involved youth when caregiver substance use is prevalent. Register Here

Many girls and young women struggle with the relationship they have their bodies. For those who have experienced sexual trauma, the relationship with one’s body can be that much more complicated. Many girls and young women are dissatisfied with their bodies and have a negative relationship with it. This training will discuss strategies to help girls and young women increase their relationship with their bodies. Register Here

Many system-involved struggle with anxiety and mood disruptions so it’s crucial for social service providers to understand the different types of anxiety and mood disruptions and know how to effectively support system-involved youth and young adults. This training will provide an overview of different types of anxiety and mood disruptions as well as practical strategies social service providers can use to support system-involved youth and young adults struggling with them. Register Here

Many system-involved youth self-injure themselves and providers can struggle to know how to effectively support them. This training will provide you with a better understanding of non-suicidal self-injury. You will be able to identify the reasons for the behavior as well as strategies to support youth hurt themselves. Register Here

This three-hour course reviews the concept of the suicide assessment and prevention when working with youth in care and provides opportunities for participants to discuss and practice strategies to increase comfort with talking about suicide as well as means of assessing risk and determining how to develop a safety plan.

During this training, participants will review their roles in assessing and intervening to prevent suicide as defined by professional organizational ethics and legal statutes. Participants will deepen their knowledge and understanding about the drivers to suicidal ideation and what they can do when they are working with a client with suicide risk.

Some system-involved youth demonstrate impulsive and aggressive behaviors. This training will provide an overview of disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disruptions including their prevalence and what these behaviors look like. Participants will learn how to support youth experiencing impulse control and conduct disruptions as well as to work with caregivers to best support them. Register Here

Some foster youth exhibit loss of reality features whether they experience auditory or visual hallucinations, paranoia or other delusions. It’s important for social service providers working with system-involved youth to understand the different circumstances associated with neurosis and how to effectively support them. This training will equip you with skills to work with youth suffering from complexes. Register Here

This interactive training provides those that support system-involved youth with a comprehensive overview of California-specific legal and ethical standards for delivering services and support via telehealth. Through real-world scenarios, case vignettes, and applied best practices, participants will deepen their understanding of informed consent, confidentiality, and appropriate telehealth use with vulnerable populations. Emphasis will be placed on the unique needs of foster youth and system-involved youth, including how to assess telehealth suitability, ensure continuity of care, and navigate consent and emergency protocols across systems. This training equips providers to ethically and effectively use telehealth as a tool for access and equity in supporting system-involved youth with complex behavioral health needs.

Child sexual exploitation is a major child protection issue for communities across the country. Hidden from view and often unnoticed, vulnerable young girls and boys are recruited, groomed and then abused, leaving them traumatized and without support. Often their involvement in foster care becomes a risk factor for victimization. Issues specific to sexual exploitation of youth, including the difficulty in identifying youth at risk, can make the provision of appropriate treatment and services a challenge for systems that serve the youth. This training will address the importance of early identification and will present the Commercially Sexually Exploited Identification Tool (CSE-IT) as a method of screening and identifying of commercially sexually […]

This training focuses on how child welfare staff must work together with other staff, the youth and family, outside professionals, extended family, and friends, as well others in order to provide coordinated support for youth in out-of-home care and their extended network.

This training will focus on screening youth across a broad range of areas. Coping, emotional experience, intensity of stress, and interpersonal functioning are areas of focus. Attendees will receive guidance in rapport building with traumatized youth, collaboration with youth during the screening of their needs, and techniques for emotional struggles that are challenging for youth to verbalize.

This training will focus on screening youth across a broad range of areas. Coping, emotional experience, intensity of stress, and interpersonal functioning are areas of focus. Attendees will receive guidance in rapport building with traumatized youth, collaboration with youth during the screening of their needs, and techniques for emotional struggles that are challenging for youth to verbalize.

This 3.5-hour interactive training explores the five senses not just as tools for learning—but as bridges for connection, communication, and healing. Grounded in trauma-informed care and disability justice, this workshop invites participants to move beyond words and consider how sensory input shapes emotional safety, understanding, and relationship-building with system-involved youth and families.

Child sexual exploitation is a major child protection issue for communities across the country. Hidden from view and often unnoticed, vulnerable young girls and boys are recruited, groomed and then abused, leaving them traumatized and without support. Often their involvement in foster care becomes a risk factor for victimization. Issues specific to sexual exploitation of youth, including the difficulty in identifying youth at risk, can make the provision of appropriate treatment and services a challenge for systems that serve the youth. This training will address the importance of early identification and will present the Commercially Sexually Exploited Identification Tool (CSE-IT) as a method of screening and identifying of commercially sexually […]

This training explores the purpose of actively working with youth in care to help them meet preferred behaviors. The training highlights four things to think about in any given situation before choosing how to support youth: your personal state, the desired outcome, the situation and environment, and which approach to use. Didactic presentation, group discussion, art and visualization exercises are utilized.

Develop a better understanding of the importance of fathers to the youth with whom we work in our systems of care. This epidemic of the often-absent father doesn’t mean that the father doesn’t fulfill an important role in the system-involved youth and family’s life. We often leave the paternal side of the youth’s family completely out of planning with youth in out-of-home care even though the father is very much a part of the youth’s “picture” and impacts their day-to-day functioning. Remember, the pain of the missing father is a big reason for the behaviors that we are trying to ameliorate so we can’t forget this area of pain if […]

Providers for foster youth are exposed to direct and indirect instances of trauma and conflict. In this training, participants will engage in activities that promote relationship-building and skills for addressing vicarious and secondary trauma reactions. Participants will learn how to build healthy relationships with caregivers, youth and service providers. This training will promote collaboration to enhance service delivery.

This training delves into the multifaceted impact of trauma across various stages of life, from infancy to late adulthood, and how to best support system-impacted youth and families. This training will cover: understanding trauma across the developmental stages, system-involvement and trauma, culturally responsive care, and practical tools for providers. This training will explore trauma’s pervasive effects on mental, emotional, and physical well-being on youth and their families. This training will equip providers with the knowledge and developmentally appropriate tools needed to effectively support clients of all ages, enhancing their ability to foster resilience and promote healing through the lifespan. This training will feature real world case studies, interactive discussions, and […]