Working Together with Primary Families Now Available on FosterParentCollege.com®
April 25, 2013
Eugene, OR — A child in care has two families: the primary and the foster family. Research has shown that when these families work together, the child's confusion and anxiety are decreased and the likelihood of reunification increases.
Nonjudgmental and respectful communication can be challenging, especially when histories and backgrounds differ or when abuse and neglect are part of the child's past. Working Together with Primary Families offers foster parents strategies for developing positive communication with and understanding of the primary family.
Leading the course is Wendy Wolff, MS. Wolff conducted a three year qualitative research project with Hennepin County in Minneapolis to identify best practices in family visiting, which led to the creation of family visit guides for foster parents, children and birth families. She has consulted with county and private agencies about positive visit practices and has developed training for foster parents and social workers on visiting issues. Her family visits guides can be purchased from www.SocialLearning.com, search "Positive Family Visits."
The class is part of a series developed as online versions of the Ohio Institute for Human Services standardized pre-service training curriculum in use throughout the United States. The project is funded through a Phase II SBIR grant (#2 R44 HD054032-02) awarded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
FosterParentCollege.com provides interactive online training for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents. There are more than 40 courses available at this time. Titles include Substance-Exposed Infants, Child Abuse and Neglect, Grief and Loss in the Care System, Culturally Competent Parenting, Caring for Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused, and Child Safety and Supervision.
FosterParentCollege.com is:
Rated by the California Evidence-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Endorsed by the NFPA, the Foster Family-based Treatment Association and the Canadian Foster Family Association
Approved by CASA and the National Adoption Center.