Community classes available at Family Resource Network:
Foster and Adoptive Home CORE Training
Family Resource Network offers the state-approved Core training, in accordance with rules and regulations (7.500.311B). This training includes an overview of all areas required for new foster and adoptive homes, including agency policies, and guidelines. Core consists of 12 hours of training highlighting the following:
- General overview of foster care
- Administrative and legal issues
- Why children get placed out of home
- Parenting and family dynamics
- Key concepts of child growth and development
- The importance of a team approach
- Individual differences such as ethnicity and culture
- Discipline
- Effects of fostering on the foster family
- Working with the biological family
Each caregiver must complete Mandatory Reporting and The Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard pre-requisite classes to complete CORE. In addition to the core training, each caregiver must be certified in First Aid and CPR to complete pre-service training. Each additional year, licensed foster parents must complete 20 hours of ongoing training each year to qualify for re-certification.
If you are interested in attending this class through Family Resource Network please email us for more information.
Foster Parent Training & Support Group
Family Resource Network and Kaleidoscope Counseling offers a monthly support group. This venue allows for foster parents to share stories, find supports from others who understand the system and the process of foster and adoptive services, share ideas and resources, and an opportunity to socialize. Currently, our support group meets for two hours; typically for training and support to the foster parent.
Family Resource Network and Kaleidoscope Counseling can invite community leaders to provide relevant training for foster and adoptive parents.
If you have a topic that you would like to request for training, please, email us and let us know!
Upcoming Foster Parent Training Topics:
Training hours are typically 9:30am -11:30am on a scheduled date.
- March: How to care for children during the COVID-19 Pandemic [eLearning due to COVID19]
- April: Two trainings offered:
- Annual Core Update and Semi-annual Emergency Preparedness [eLearning due to COVID19]
- Trauma Informed Parenting [eLearning due to COVID19]
- May: Nurturing Discipline: Behavior Modification Using TBRI
- June: Having Fun in the Park [Event Pending]
- July: Physical and Emotional Boundaries with Children, Families & Professionals
- August: Self-Care for Foster Families: Surviving the Summer—Back to School
- September: Caring for kids who are in foster care—How is it different?
- October: Reviewing Agency & Foster Care Policies
- November: Maintaining traditions and working with birth families
- December: Holiday stressors & how to minimize meltdowns & Holiday Party [Event date TBD]
If you need to confirm dates or times of training, email us and let us know!
Adoption Supports
Prior to the finalization of Adoption, Family Resource Network and Kaleidoscope Counseling takes pride in providing the supports and services needed, case specific to help elevate the added stress of the unknown. We seek out and often offer specialized trainings and supports to our foster parents and the children that become part of their families.
Studies show that adoptive parents typically request support within the first few years following an adoption, and many times all outside resources have been closed. Family Resource Network is proud to say that our supports continue to be open to you and do not close just because an adoption has finalized. If we are unable to help, we will try to find someone who can support you.
Trauma Informed Parenting
Explore trauma and how learning trauma informed parenting practices can change your perspective from “What is wrong with you” to “What happened to you”. Learning to relate to a child with trauma can help you be a better parent by understanding their point of view. Parenting children with trauma can be hard—also learn best practices for discipline and self-care strategies.
If you are interested in attending this class through Family Resource Network please email us for more information.
Nurturing Parenting
The Nurturing Parenting Program is administered to meet family’s needs depending on the age and development of your child. Beginning from prenatal through teenage years, and with specialty units to focus on military families, religious affiliations, LGBTQ and families with substance abuse.
Of the 17 units available, Family Resource Network and Kaleidoscope Counseling works primarily with specialization units, to include parents and their infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents. Family Resource Network also offers classes for teen parents and their children and The ABC’s for Parents and their children.
Each program begins and ends with the AAPI and a nurturing quiz, so that families can ‘see’ how they have grown. Parents and children are involved when possible, so both learn the same skills and are able to spend time together working on a relationship that will never lose its value, their family relationship.
The sessions are taught most often in a group format, and range in their commitment of time needed to complete from 7 weeks to 26 weeks. The most popular program is The ABC’s for Parents and their Children lasts 7 weeks. Every program focuses on a child’s development, empathy and of course NURTURING!
Nurturing Parenting discusses parent child bonding, trust, empathy, nurturing, expectations (as they relate to developmental levels) and discipline (to include family rules). With the tools and skills learned, families are encouraged to develop house rules, which can lead to positive morals and values as well as improved self-worth and relationships.
Program Goals
The goal of one taking a parenting class is to:
- Help child and parents to reconnect in healthy appropriate fashion.
- Gives resources and ideas.
- Enables families to develop a support system with parents working through similar issues.
- To focus on family strengths.
- Assistance in preventing the need for out-of-home placement.
- Providing services to protect the child.
- An environment for parents to learn new techniques.
- Familiarize parents with community resources and supports.
- Enhancing parenting skills.
- Developing crisis intervention skills.
The purpose of one enrolling in and completing a parenting class, outside of the standard reasons, such as a support network, court orders, etc., is to learn new and different parenting techniques or styles. In addition, it gives families the opportunity to learn what may work for another family. The primary outcome is teaching a family to use choices and consequences for behaviors.
Sometimes it is necessary to have a more individual approach for a family. For this we have a family therapist on staff, who also works with individual needs. This allows a family member to have a place, outside of the home, to come and process, as well as learn and cope in a safe environment.
Staff Qualifications
Leader/facilitator must have a Master Degree in a related field, and be a certified trainer. Co-leader/Co-facilitators must have a minimum of a Bachelors working hand-in-hand with the Masters level leader/facilitator and have completed the certified training. Children group leaders must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree level in a mental health related field.
These services can be referred through single case agreements, core services or private pay.
If you are interested in attending this class through Family Resource Network please email us for more information.
Cooperative Co-Parenting
With more than 20 years of experience in co-parenting, our agency has worked with thousands of unique families. We understand that joint-custody, difficult break-ups, and conflicting family values can make co-parenting a stressful task, but we will support your diverse needs by working with every member of your family to find the right balance. This program is recognized by the courts nationwide.
Cooperative Co-Parenting classes are centered around improving the quality of the parental relationships in families with divorce. There are two class types to choose from:
- Cooperative Co-Parenting is an 8-week program for families with mild to moderate conflict; or
- Cooperative Parenting and Divorce is an 8-week psychoeducational class, with 16 contact hours. Over the duration of this course the focus will be to help families adjust to the change through divorce, and teaching parents how to best shield the children from conflict.
- The focus is to:
- Transition from spouses to co-parents’.
- Help parties understand the impact of conflict on their children’s development.
- Identify the conflict and assist in finding resolution and support.
- Work on anger management, conflict resolution and communication.
- Supporting the family and helping parents to develop a relationship focused on the best-interest of the children and family, after separation.
If you are interested in attending this class through Family Resource Network please email us for more information.
