Adolescent Brain Development (Part 1 and 2) (6 Contact Hours)
Participants will learn to recognize how our own current beliefs and attitudes about adolescence impact our work; apply brain science when interacting with young people by creating authentic partnerships; identify trauma informed strategies to support better outcomes for young people; identify strategies to change the way child-serving systems think about adolescence; recognize how youth development principles and practices can enhance outcomes for older youth; describe the importance of building social capital with older youth in foster care; describe how to help older youth build social capital; describe using effective strategies that support healing and promote growth; describe the knowledge and skills needed to promote youth-adult partnerships.
Career Development with Your Teen (1.5 Contact Hours)
The training will teach foster parents about guiding their foster teens in options for their careers. Foster parents will be taught to explore career assessments and use job search tools. The goal of the training is equipping foster parents with the knowledge to support their foster child with their career planning.
CORE Teen (14 Contact Hours)
Participants will understand how trauma has impacted the cognitive and emotional development of youth, build self-awareness and strengthen skills, learn to adapt parenting strategies to meet the needs of the youth, understand the root cause of behavior and gain resources.
Living and Working with Teens Yes You Can (2 Contact Hours)
This training is intended to engage participants’ memories of what it was like to be a teen and help them apply those memories to parenting and working with teens, present a general outline of adolescent development, facilitate discussion on the developmental challenges of adolescence, with emphasis on additional challenges for many foster teens, present the “ten tasks of adolescence” as a guide for what teens need to accomplish for successful and happy adulthood, emphasize the importance of relationship and connection in helping teens develop optimally and prepare for a successful future, offer a problem-solving model that can be taught to teens for their present and future use and present and facilitate sharing and discussion on tips for parenting and working with teens
Talking with Youth about Risky Behavior (1.5 Contact Hours)
This training is taken from Sex, Lies, and Hook-ups: A Parent’s Guide for Fighting Back developed by Heritage Services.
Tech Safety (2 Contact Hours)
This class will help equip caregivers with information that can help keep children safe from the dangers of sexting and social media. Information will be provided to participants concerning technology risks and trends, safety features, and appropriate discussion guides.
The Circle of Courage Reclaiming Our Youth at Risk (1.5 Contact Hours)
This training is intended to help participants understand the Circle of Courage concept, review and remember the ways our children have been discouraged, learn the four points in the Circle of Courage and why they matter and set some goals for putting this information to use in reclaiming foster youth.
Working with Teens (2 Contact Hours)
This interactive workshop is designed to help foster parents understand their changing role as children age and become teens. Participants will understand the importance of coaching teens rather than controlling their behavior, they will understand the importance of independence and socialization and health and safety issues for teens. Jackie Gadsden is a professor of Social Work at Columbia College, Columbia SC.
Youth Personal Device Use & Access: Fostering Digital Habits with Safety and Respect (1 Contact Hour)
The purpose of this training is to help youth develop responsible digital habits; ensure safety, consistency, and respect for everyone; be transparent and accountable; and have strength-based expectations about growth, responsibility and informed decision-making.
Youth Thrive: Protective and Promotive Factors for Healthy Development (14 Contact Hours)
Participants will: Learn about and understand the Youth Thrive Framework and be able to identify and nurture protective and promotive factors that build healthy development and well-being for youth as they move through adolescence and adulthood. Become familiar with guiding premises and key values that are the foundation for strong practice and supportive relationships with young people, their families, and communities.Explore the research base of the Protective Factors and learn about ways to implement them in policy, resources, services, and supports to young people and those who care for them, specifically: adolescent development, social connections, cognitive and social-emotional competencies, social connections, concrete support in times of need, and youth resilience.Consider how this content applies to all young people. Create your own individualized plan for putting the training content into action.