Foster Care Training

Connecting Youth with Community Resources This training will introduce community resources that can enhance the quality of care that is provided to youth in the foster care system. Although it is important that all youth in care have access to community resources, this access is especially critical for those in the most structured settings. By helping youth to maintain connections to the communities to which they will eventually return, caregivers will ease the transition when it actually occurs. Additionally, community resources can provide opportunities for the development of health, self-esteem and creativity in ways that may not otherwise be possible in a home setting. —–

Behavior Basics with Youth in Care The purpose of this training is to provide an opportunity for those who work with children in out-of-home care to become familiar with and practice behavior management techniques. Behavioral systems are important to children in out-of-home care as they help to create a structure of systematic discipline which in turn supports safety. Additionally, this training will provide caregivers with effective strategies in order to control their own behaviors when working with this difficult population. —-

Helping Youth Problem Solve: Life Space Interviews As child care workers we are often required to process events that happen in the lives of the youth we serve. It is vital that we have a structure to follow as emotions can be very high in these moments. The objective of this training is to provide an outline for staff to follow when processing emotionally charged information. Participants will learn about the Life Space Interview (LSI) and information in how to use this structure. This training utilizes didactic training as well as role-play and question and answer. Participants are given an opportunity to work with the LSI and then get feedback, and then to discuss situations that they have faced in the work and how the LSI would be used. Participants leaving this training will be able to apply the structure of the Life Space Interview to processing with youth in order to help them work through emotional events in their lives.