Foster Care Training

The best way to develop an infant’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical well-being is by building a healthy secure attachment bond between infant and caregiver. A healthy attachment bond provides protection, comfort and joy. This bond is also crucial in the development of a child’s brain, providing the foundation for life in their learning, their self-awareness, trust and relationships with others. Those with infants and those supporting/ working with infants and children 0 to 3 know how vulnerable this population can be when that bond is struggling to be nurtured or has been broken. This is a 4 part introduction series to supporting children 0 to 3 who are in the foster care system or at risk for such placement. We will review the assessment foundations of early childhood mental health. We will explore the basic principles of helping this vulnerable population in their attachment relationships and developmental needs using the Circle of Security model. This will be a workshop focusing on practical ways to assess children in this age range and to facilitate a child’s attachment, exploratory behaviors and play. We will look at child development, including developmental milestones and non-standard development, the meaning of child and parent behavior and how to understand and support caregivers behaviors in response to their child’s needs.