January 23, 2009

Eugene, OR - FosterParentCollege.com® (FPC) rolled out its 24th self-guided online course, Child Abuse and Neglect, on January 19. The course is the first in a series of proven-effective trainings for potential foster and adoptive parents and is designed to supplement face-to-face training of recruits to the care system.

The training advances social service agency goals of helping caregivers understand the family dynamics of child abuse and neglect. It provides an introduction to the causes and effects of child abuse and neglect, shows how to distinguish between normal childhood injuries and abuse, discusses the importance of developing empathy for abusive parents, and explains when and how to report abuse or neglect to authorities.

The federal S.B.I.R. grant-funded project is a joint effort of the Institute for Health Services (HIS) in Ohio (http://www.ihs-trainet.com/about.htm) and FosterParentCollege.com® in Oregon. The FPC side of the project is lead by Dr. Richard Delaney, author and lecturer specializing in foster and adoptive care. The IHS TRAINnet side of the project is led by Betsy Keefer Smalley, LSW. Keefer Smalley is lead author of the IHS Preservice Training for Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Caregivers.

For more information about this class or to watch a short preview, visit www.fosterparentcollege.com or call 800-777-6636.

FosterParentCollege.com® is a division of Northwest Media, Inc. of Eugene, OR. Northwest Media also produces VStreet.com, a comprehensive life skills Web site for youth, and SocialLearning.com, an online store with over 1,300 products for the social services field.

For more information about this article, contact Lisa Siegle at press@northwestmedia.com.