Foster Care Training

Foster children who have special emotional, social and developmental needs are at greater risk of violent behavior, incarceration, hospitalization, or placement in different forms of group and residential treatment. When given the opportunity to participate in Intensive Treatment Foster Care, the individual attention can positively impact that child’s choices and increase his or her chances of reaching their full potential in life. Professionals responding to crisis are often challenged by the unpredictable moods, escalating, high risk behaviors, and deep despair presented by their clients. Without a good framework for understanding crisis dynamics, their corresponding skills, along with proven protocols and assessment tools, serious symptoms might be left unaddressed and become exacerbated. This results in an extremely stressful and high-risk situation for both the client and the professional/caregiver.

1. Participants will learn a framework for understanding and responding to the stages of escalation with a focus on proactive de-escalation strategies.
2. Participants will learn intervention and stabilization techniques that can be used with clients who may be impacted by an isolated crisis, as well as those with multiple crises.
3. Participants will understand behavioral escalation, violence prevention, and traumatic stress.
4. Participants are introduced to the interpersonal foundation of proactive crisis prevention including making connections and meeting basic needs.
5. Participants will be able to define what constitutes a crisis and identify three risk factors that may elevate a client’s risk for crisis.