Fostering provides a child who has experienced abuse or neglect with a safe, loving environment. To do this effectively, foster parent training is essential. In this blog, let’s look at what this training involves and the resources that will help. 

The Positive Impacts of a Trained Foster Parent

Before looking at the training, understand that being a foster parent can have lasting, positive impacts on multiple lives. This includes playing a major role in reuniting kids with their families. 

The most common outcome for children in foster care is a safe reunification with their families. Nationwide, more than half of youth who enter foster care are safely reunified. The average length of time a child is in foster care is about a year. However, this depends on how long it takes for the family to resolve their issues. During this time, the child in question needs love, support and guidance. This is where the foster parent comes in.

Although foster care is considered a temporary solution, it is very important work. Foster parents are keeping these kids safe and cared for while their families work through a serious crisis. They help children recover from possible trauma and neglect while allowing the family home to become a safe and stable place for them to return. Foster and adoptive parents often help teach kids healthy coping skills, allowing them to grow into thriving individuals. This positive influence impacts the child’s life for years to come, especially with the right training and support. If you are considering becoming a foster parent, KVC provides the tools and foster parent training required!

Foster Parent Training and Resources

KVC aims to ensure all children in foster care are able to reach their potential in safe, loving homes until they can be safely reunified with their families or a permanent home can be found. To do this, we offer in-depth foster parent training and assistance throughout the entire fostering process. This training also serves to satisfy the educational requirements of foster parenting, which vary from state to state.  Let’s look at two of KVC’s primary training programs.

• Trauma-Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanency – Model Approach for Partnerships in Parenting (TIPS-MAPP) is required for all potential foster and adoptive families by Kansas Statute. The class builds skills for parenting abused and neglected children who have behavioral, emotional, physical or educational needs. TIPS-MAPP helps the participant decide if fostering and/or adopting is right for their family. 
• Trauma-focused care training develops skills needed for handling children with behavioral, emotional, physical, and/or educational difficulties. In collaboration with the Children’s Alliance of Kansas, KVC offers a 30-hour training class for all prospective foster parents. This class is designed to prepare foster families for parenting children with a history of trauma, understanding the child welfare system, and determining which children and sibling groups are the best fit.

All of KVC’s trauma-informed care training gives foster parents the tools necessary to parent children with a history of trauma. Trauma may manifest itself in behaviors, emotional dysregulation, and educational issues. This training is required for safety and for foster parents to be prepared for helping the child.

Additional KVC-led foster parent training may include: 

• PRIDE, or Parent Resource Information Development and Education. A 30-hour course created by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) to learn about being a foster parent
• MANDT or crisis de-escalation. This course teaches potential foster parents about safe and effective ways to diffuse potential crisis situations.
• CPR/First Aid. KVC provides American Red Cross classes for adult, child, and infant CPR and First Aid.
• Universal Precautions
• Healthy Sexual Development in Children
• Pregnancy Prevention and STD information

Ongoing support and resources for KVC foster parents

KVC provides ongoing support through the Family Services Coordinator, a social worker designated to assist the foster family. We also employ foster parent therapists who are responsible for providing individual, couples, and family therapy to foster families.

Here’s a brief list of additional KVC support measures:

• Free ongoing training and support 24/7, 365 days/year
• 24-hour phone support
• Health insurance for a child placed in your home
• Assistance finding local resources
• A fun weekend away at our Resource Family Conference. This event provides a fantastic learning experience for parents and a weekend of fun for children in foster care.
• Monthly reimbursements to meet the child’s needs, plus assistance with back-to-school supplies and holiday gifts.

Become a Licensed Foster Parent

Do you think you’re ready to become a foster parent? Learn more about fostering through KVC here. You can also get our free e-book about the most frequently asked foster parenting questions. 

KVC is committed to helping you fulfill all the requirements needed to become a licensed foster parent so you can really impact a child’s life.

Here are some of the typical foster parent requirements: 

• Be at least 21 or older
• Meet basic income guidelines
• Provide adequate bedroom space that meets local fire codes and have a separate bed for each child
• Have reliable transportation
• Be willing to complete 30 hours of free trauma-informed training 
• Agree to use non-physical discipline for children
• Be willing for everyone in your household to undergo complete background checks. All licensees will be fingerprinted as a part of the federal Adam Walsh Act

Achieving full licensure can take up to six months or longer depending on your state. However, if you complete all the required training and application paperwork in a timely manner, this could expedite the process. And remember, KVC will help you every step of the way! 

Ready to learn more and take the next step? Reach out to one of our recruiters in Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky or West Virginia.