Foster Care Training

This training is geared toward service providers working with youth in care. This training is separate from New Employee Orientation and will help providers deepen their practice. Some Seneca-specific policies and procedures may be discussed, although those outside of Seneca are welcome to attend.

Personal Motivations (Ch. 1 “Why Are You Here?”): Explores each staff member’s personal reasons for doing this work when they could choose to do something less stressful or dangerous. Encourages staff to explore their personal histories and values to understand what’s brought them to the work. Objectives for participants are to come up with a list of personal motivators to return to frequently, to share personal stories with others, and to understand why they want to do this work.

Self-Care and Self Control (Ch. 1 “Why Are You Here?”): Introduces the idea of “compassion fatigue,” and explores the physical, mental, and emotional toll of working closely with people who have experience trauma. Connects the importance of identifying ways to rejuvenate the self and how failing to do so can cause staff to contribute to crisis situations. This idea connects to being aware of transference and the ways that clients can trigger us in the work. Good self-care leads to good self-control in crisis situations; conversely, failing to take care of oneself can lead to easily losing control. Objectives for participants are to identify a list of reliable self-care methods that will work for them, to understand the concepts of compassion fatigue and transference, and to identify their own limits and triggers in relation to self-control.

Collaboration (Ch. 2 “Working Together”): Focuses on the importance of building a strong team and learning from each other. This idea includes not only staff members, but also the child, their family, and outside professionals. Explores agency values related to direct feedback. Helps each participant identify their natural “energy” (with, toward, or away) in working with others and how to cultivate a style that uses all three when needed. Objectives for participants are to create working definitions of each person’s “team,” to practice giving direct feedback, and to self-identify natural energies and areas for improvement.