Self-Directed Continuing Training for
Ohio Foster Families

Attachment/Relationship Building

The Connected Child Book reading (3 Self-Directed Training Hours)  The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family was written by Karyn B. Purvis, David R. Cross, and Wendy Lyons. This training will provide pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with insights into building healthy attachments with their children and increase empathy, understanding and compassion around common obstacles to healthy attachment. Learning activities include: a. looking inside a child’s heart and recognizing the impairments and deep fears that drive maladaptive behavior, b. keeping compassion as the main reference point as caregivers c. encourage caregivers to have the patience and stamina to keep trying, even on the toughest days. Participants will provide written responses to 3 open-ended questions and complete a written evaluation to receive 3 hours of self-directed training.  Click HERE to submit your Training Evaluation

Trauma, Post Adoption Services, Permanency, Conflict Management: De-Escalation

The Connected Parent reading (2.25 self directed training hours) The Connected Parent: Real Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment was written by Karyn Purvis, PhD & Lisa Qualls. This training will equip pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with insights into building healthy attachments with their children and increase empathy, understanding and compassion. Caregivers will benefit from Karyn’s decades of clinical research and real-world experience. Coauthor Lisa Qualls demonstrates how caregivers can successfully implement these strategies in their home, just as she did in hers.  Caregivers will learn how to simplify their approach using scripts, nurture their child, combat chronic fear, teach respect, and develop other valuable tools to facilitate a healing connection with their child.  The Connected Parent will help caregivers lovingly guide their children and bring renewed hope and restoration to their family.  Participants will provide written responses to 3 open-ended questions and complete a written evaluation to receive 2.25 hours of self-directed training. Link to Training Evaluation. Click HERE to submit your training evaluation.

Culture and Diversity: Race, Equity and Inclusion 

Growing Up Black In White reading (3 self-directed training hours): Growing Up Black in White was written by Kevin Hofmann, a transracial adoptee who grew up in Detroit, Michigan during the 1970’s and 1980’s.  This training will equip pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with insights into transcultural adoption through the eyes of a bi-racial adoptee who was raised by Caucasian parents with 3 Caucasian siblings.  Learning activities include: a. looking at the thoughts, feelings and needs from the transracial adoptee’s perspective, b. keeping compassion as the main reference point as caregivers c. increasing the reader’s understanding and empathy for parenting transracially adopted children.  Participants will provide written responses to 3 open-ended questions and complete a written evaluation to receive 3 hours of self-directed learning. The training evaluator will be a certified adoption assessor.  This training was developed by Kevin Hofmann, adult adoptee and author of Growing Up Black in White.  Click HERE to submit your Training Evaluation

Grief and Loss, Adoption, Trauma 

Fireweed  reading (2.75 self-directed training hours): Fireweed was written by Jennifer Mae. This self-directed training will equip pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with insights into building empathy for their children’s biological parents’ circumstances surrounding unexpected pregnancy, trauma, and the choice for adoption. Learning objectives include: a. men and women choosing adoption are so much more than their circumstances, b. understanding how past trauma impacts decision-making for the biological parents, and c. encourage caregivers to view the biological family through an empathetic lens. Participants will complete a written evaluation which contains 3 open-ended reflective questions and receive 2.75 self-directed credit hours. Training designed by trainer, Jennifer Mae, birth mother, licensed social worker and certified adoption assessor.  Click HERE to submit your Training Evaluation

Engagement, Stress: Stress Management, Discipline

Parenting reading (2.75 self directed training hours): Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp will equip pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with parenting strategies to assist them in understanding children and helpful techniques in raising them.   Parents wish there was a guaranteed formula for raising good kids―a certain list of rules to follow to ensure they’d have obedient children. But if moms and dads view their role through the lens of God’s grace, they will see that the gospel must first shape how they parent before they can effectively shape their children.  In the bestselling book Parenting, Paul David Tripp unfolds a more biblical perspective on parenting than merely adhering to a list of rules. He lays out 14 gospel-centered principles that will radically change the way parents think about what it means to raise up a child, informing everything they do as a parent.  Participants will complete a written evaluation which contains 3 open-ended reflective questions and receive 2.75 self-directed credit hours. Click HERE to submit your Training Evaluation.

Child Development, Adoption, Collaboration/Teaming, Crisis Intervention 

In Safe Hands movie watching 2018 french film with subtitles. (2 hours self directed training hours)This training will equip pre-adoptive infant foster caregivers and adoptive parents with insights regarding the placement process for Theo.   Theo’s birth mother placed Theo for adoption.   The social services agency set out to find the perfect home for his adoption.  Participants will observe a birth mother state her wishes for her child, observe interactions between a birth mother and a social worker and observe homestudy questions.  Participants will develop empathy while viewing the emotions of the birth mother, the foster caregiver and the adoptive parent.  Participants will observe interrupted bonding and suggestions on how to repair.  Participants will complete a written evaluation which contains 3 open-ended reflective questions and receive 2.00 self-directed credit hours.  Click HERE to submit your Training Evaluation

Ohio licensed pre-adoptive foster parents will need to:

1. Read the book or watch the video.

2. Complete an evaluation.

3. Notify Ellie Hartford that you completed the training.

4. Ohio licensed foster parents will receive a training stipend and certificate of completion for each hour of coursework completed. 

5. Questions: [email protected] 

*Please note that 12 of your 24 training hours in each renewal period (2 yrs.) are permitted to be self-directed/without a live trainer present.*