Foster Care Training

This course will discuss how social welfare staff can cope with the emotional and transitional issues associated with long-term care to support the wellbeing of youth in care. We will also consider how to overcome youth/adult and elder/adult ageism that can negatively impact our interactions with one another and the families we support. Participants will explore the impacts of institutional, individual, and societal ageism as it relates to the overall wellbeing and success of youth in care. We will outline best practices to support long-term success for elders and aging adults who support youth in care, and consider practices for positive community transformation through individual, cultural, and institutional means. Through experiential exercises, large and small group dialogue, lecture, and personal reflection, attendees will work to unearth unconscious attitudes and behaviors, and challenge how these ideas influence our connections with the young people we support.