Alliance Course Catalog

Este eLearning para cuidadores cubre la forma correcta de administrar, registrar, almacenar y desechar los medicamentos.

This course is also available in English at https://allianceforchildwelfare.org/content/medication-management-and-administration-elearning

For many children in foster care, the path up to, including and even after adoption can include trauma, grief and loss. As a potential adoptive parent, it’s crucial that you understand the story a foster child is bringing to you and what part you can play in that.

This course, “Advanced Adoption: The Effects of Trauma and Loss on Adopted Children,” takes you beyond the introductory level into beginning to understand more deeply the emotional, mental and physical needs an adoptive child may have. A startlingly high number of adoptions are not successful, which is why it is so important that you have realistic expectations and adequate support, both of which are explored in this training.

You will first be guided through a discussion around the definition of adoption, including what it is and what it isn’t, and you will be encouraged to share your ideals and goals as an adoptive parent. You will then spend a majority of your time learning about the impact of trauma, grief, loss and ACES (adverse childhood experiences) on development in adopted children, and exploring how to recognize behaviors related to these issues. This includes training on attachment and learning ways to strengthen your bond with the children in your care depending on their attachment style.

When you leave the training, you will have numerous new training resources and supports to assist you as you navigate this new environment.

This 4-hour focused topic training for caregivers, social workers and supervisors teaches participants to understand the complexity of caring for African American and biracial hair and skin.  Participants will gain skills and knowledge to be culturally responsive to the needs of the children/youth in their care.  The provider will demonstrate how to properly wash, dry and style (including braiding) for African American children and youth in their care.  The provider will give resource tools on how participants get the appropriate hair and skin products for children/youth.  The participants will gain knowledge, skills and tools to utilize with the children/youth in their care.  Participants will learn how to seek necessary resources and support to promote a healthy self-concept for the children/youth in their care.

SAKS Salon Owners – Theresa Johnson & Shelly Gaines are Washington State Board Licensed Cosmetologists with over 27 years of experience.  They are Avalon Hair Technicians with experience as trainers for of all products and application to all types of hair.  They have advanced training including:  Dudley’s University, Mizani Certified, Affirm, KMS, John Paul Mitchel and Nioen Hair Care Systems, and specializing in Natural Haircare, biracial haircare and African American hair and skin care.

This 6 hour focused topic training for caregivers will focus on how children with substance abuse in their life have an increased chance of experiencing many effects, such as poor social, cognitive and emotional development, physical, mental and health issues, depression, anxiety, concentration and learning difficulties, trouble controlling their responses, as well as other traumatic issues. The goal of this workshop is to identify and address the impacts drugs have on children and setting up a successful environment and coping skills. The takeaway from this training is feeling empowered to care for a drug impacted child as they grow through childhood, teenage years and beyond.

This 6-hour focused topic training for caregivers develops an understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as presented in DSM 5 and alternate behavioral descriptions from Daniel Amen MD.  The training also covers the common developmental course of ADHD and a 7 Step Intervention pathway for home and school success.

Randi Hankins has over 30 years of clinical experience in community mental health in Washington State.  She is an Associate Professor in the Clinical Master’s of Social Work Program at Walla Walla University.  She maintains a fulltime clinical practice on a Crisis Response Unit in Southeastern Washington.  Ms. Hankins has trained extensively on Child/Adolescent Mental Health issues in Washington, Idaho and Montana.  She is certified as a Designated Mental Health Professional, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, a Child Mental Health Specialist, and a Developmental Disabilities Mental Health Specialist in Washington State

Bloodborne Pathogens Safety Training is a mandatory training for all potential foster parents and respite providers in the State of Washington. This training will help you understand the risk anticipated by contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials as the result of caring for children. This class contains bloodborne pathogens training that is specific to non-healthcare related homes and workplaces.

Upon completing this training, participants will be able to:

• Summarize the characteristics of pathogens and the primary functions of our immune system.
• Identify the most common diseases caused by bloodborne pathogens and how they are transmitted.
• Differentiate the infection control principles and practices used against bloodborne pathogens.
• Implement procedures and precautions to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens in your home and in the community.

La Capacitación Básica para Cuidadores (Caregiver Core Training, CCT) es la capacitación obligatoria para que los cuidadores del estado de Washington obtengan una licencia. La Capacitación Básica para Cuidadores se puede realizar de dos maneras: en línea o en el salón de clases.

Si prefiere el aprendizaje electrónico, en línea y a su propio ritmo, tenga en cuenta las pautas generales para las capacitaciones en línea que se enumeran a continuación. Luego desplácese hacia abajo hasta Instrucciones de registro y haga clic en el enlace para comenzar el curso en línea.

Si prefiere realizar el curso en un salón de clases (se lleva a cabo en varios lugares del estado), haga clic en este enlace para registrarse.

Tanto la formación en línea como en el salón de clases abordan el mismo contenido fundamental.

Cada participante debe registrarse por separado: si ambos miembros de una pareja planean completar la capacitación juntos, aún así cada uno debe registrarse y realizar el curso en línea, de forma individual.

Versión en línea de la CCT

La Capacitación Básica para Cuidadores de 24 horas se compone de ocho unidades (cada una de aproximadamente tres horas de duración) y una experiencia de campo, que se puede completar en cualquier momento durante la parte en línea. También hay una unidad de instrucción obligatoria después de completar la parte en línea.

Unidad 1: Introducción al sistema de bienestar infantil
Unidad 2: El trabajo como miembro de un equipo
Unidad 3: Trabajar con familias biológicas
Unidad 4: Conexiones culturales y promoción
Unidad 5: Crecer con trauma, dolor y pérdida
Unidad 6: Comprensión y manejo del comportamiento
Unidad 7: Comunicación y gestión de crisis
Unidad 8: Cómo prepararse y los efectos en la familia que brinda el cuidado

Experiencia de campo: Los participantes aprenden fuera del salón de clases, eligiendo una actividad que les ayudará a ser más conscientes de la experiencia de los niños dentro del sistema o del papel de un cuidador de niños en el sistema. La experiencia de campo se aprobará si ocurre dentro del plazo de un año antes de que el participante comience la CCT, ya sea en la versión de la Capacitación Básica para Cuidadores en el salón de clases o en la versión en línea.

Las unidades están diseñadas para ayudarlo a comprender cómo funciona el sistema, cuál es su función como miembro del equipo, cómo trabajar de manera efectiva con las familias biológicas para apoyar mejor al niño, cómo el rol de cuidador puede afectar a su propia familia, en qué consisten el desarrollo infantil y el impacto del trauma, qué debe saber sobre el apego, cómo incorporar y honrar la cultura de un niño dentro de su propia familia, y más. Las unidades incluyen las perspectivas de jóvenes que estuvieron en crianza temporal, de cuidadores actuales y de padres biológicos que han sido parte del sistema.

Cada unidad incluye recursos e información adicional. Estos son los materiales de estudio que también se proporcionarán en cada unidad.

Tiene un año para completar el curso, incluida la capacitación en línea, la experiencia de campo y la llamada de instrucción. Informaremos sobre su progreso a lo largo del curso a la Licensing Division del Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) y a los contratistas de reclutamiento y retención de hogares de crianza temporal de su zona, para que puedan ofrecerle apoyo adicional si fuera necesario. No rastreamos ni compartimos ninguna información acerca de cómo respondió a las actividades o preguntas del cuestionario dentro de la capacitación en línea. Simplemente queremos asegurarnos de que tenga el apoyo que necesita para completar la capacitación.

Pautas generales de la CCT en línea

La versión en línea funciona mejor para personas que cumplen con lo siguiente:

• Tienen acceso regular a una tableta, computadora portátil o computadora de escritorio.
• Se sienten cómodas con la tecnología.
• No les importa leer en una pantalla.
• Tienen acceso a Internet de alta velocidad para poder participar en el curso en línea y reproducir videos.

Caregiver Core Training (CCT) is the mandatory training for Washington State’s caregivers to become licensed.

Due to state mandated requirements during the health crisis, Caregiver Core Training is only offered as an online eLearning. Please click this link to register for your online training.

You have one year to complete the course including the online training, and field experience. We will let the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Licensing Division and the foster care Recruitment and Retention Contractors in your area know about your progress through the course so they can offer you additional support if needed.

This 90 minute webinar training for caregivers covers what you should know about why Family Time matters for all those involved in a dependency case. The course will teach you a wide range of how you can support Family Time including preparing children for visits, supervising visits, providing transportation, sharing information with the birth family, and much more. You will learn why Family Time matters and the range of possibilities for what Family Time may look like including location options, frequency and length of visits, and level of supervision. As a caregiver you play a role in making Family Time successful and this training will teach you how.

This eLearning course for caregivers provides a foundation for caregiving and behavior management for children in out-of-home care who struggle with physically aggressive behaviors.  You will explore the potential impacts of trauma and maltreatment on attachment, behavior and development as well as the risk factors for violent behavior in children.  You will review the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) related to discipline and will contrast principles of positive discipline and punishment. Skill building will focus on creating a plan to prevent a crisis; the various forms aggression may take and how to look for signs of when a child is agitated or escalating; how to intervene during a crisis; and how to manage ongoing or explosive aggressive behaviors via teaching coping skills and Collaborative Problem Solving. Resources and supports for the youth as well as the caregiver are provided.

Este curso también está disponible en español en https://allianceforchildwelfare.org/content/crianza-de-ni%C3%B1os-con-problemas-de-comportamiento-f%C3%ADsicamente-agresivo

This eLearning course will prepare you to work with children with sexual behaviors concerns and create an environment to keep the child and other household members safe. You will explore values and beliefs before reviewing typical child sexual development and the impacts of trauma, abuse and neglect on development and behaviors. You will explore how sexual abuse can impact development, self-image and the household supporting them. After reviewing typical sexual development, you will learn how different experiences and circumstances may lead to sexual behavior concerns and how to intervene and respond safely. As a caregiver, you will learn your role in promoting healthy sexual development, positive messaging, prevention education, the importance of establishing house rules and other ideas to maintain safety for the whole household.

Este curso también está disponible en inglés en https://allianceforchildwelfare.org/content/crianza-de-ni%C3%B1os-con-problemas-de-comportamiento-sexual

Part 2 of the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma” series will introduce you to what trauma is and how a child’s behaviors may be evidence of a response to a traumatic experience, looking at physical, mental, emotional and developmental impacts.

While focused on trauma, this training also spends time discussing resilience. You will look at real-life scenarios that illustrate how to see positive signs in challenging behaviors, and how to foster the growth of these bright spots.

At the close of the class you will understand child trauma and the response to traumatic events, as well as what resilience is and how you as a resource parent can help promote it.

Part 4 of the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma” series starts looking at ways you can help your child recover from trauma and feel safe.

During this class, you will look at the difference between physical and psychological safety, and how a child who has experienced trauma will have a different definition than you do. You will look at ways you can support a child’s sense of safety, and get tools for how to make that happen, which includes a “safety message.” You will walk through elements of a safety message and discuss how deliver one effectively.

You will spend time talking about ways that children may be reminded of trauma, such as certain environments, or emotional reactions to situations that may be unexpected. You will learn some basic steps to help the child feel safe that build on the trauma-informed lens, as well as how you can help them cope.

Part 6 of the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma” series focuses on the power of connections and how they play a vital role in helping children heal from trauma.

During this course you will be introduced to a family story that illustrates the intergenerational nature of trauma and how different people react to the same events. You will engage in activities and discussions where you will consider how to respond to challenging scenarios.

This training also focuses on how to give a child a safe space to talk about their trauma. While it may be tempting to think the best thing for the child is to forget about past events, there are many positive things that can come out of allowing the child to discuss their experiences. You will learn many tools that will help you show active, supportive listening and create an environment in which the child feels it’s safe to share.

Part 8 of the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma” series focuses on you as the caregiver. In the world of trauma-informed parenting, it is essential that you understand how to take care of yourself, too.

This course focuses on the challenges of helping others manage trauma, and the effects that can have. You will be introduced to compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress, and go through a “self-care checkup” to see how well you are supporting your own health. A fundamental part of this session is helping you gain coping strategies, when you are overwhelmed by others’ trauma or when another’s trauma is a reminder of your own past experiences.

When you leave this training, you will have a plan for how to support your own self-care, with strategies for integrating activities in the short- and long-term.

Would you like more compassion in your life? In your parenting? For you? For your children? This training is for you!

Discover what compassion really is, how it starts by being compassionate with ourselves and see the positive results with our families and others.

You’ll hear about and learn the roadblocks, hurdles and challenges that often prevent this kind of parenting and discover ways to move through them so you, and your children, win!

Topics include:

• Separating the children’s behavior from who they are
• How to not take what they do or say personally
• Being compassionate with ourselves supports positive results with our families
• Learn the roadblocks, hurdles, and challenges of this type of parenting and how to move through them.
• The role self-esteem plays in all of us

You’ll learn real world concepts that work!

The CPR/First Aid blended online course teaches solutions to a range of problems that can arise from minor everyday instances such as cuts and headaches to the more serious emergencies such as allergic reactions, heart attacks and strokes. This eLearning is the first of two parts needed for full certification and includes instruction in CPR, First Aid, and AED usage. The second step is an in-person skills assessment, which will become available when covid restrictions are lifted.

CPR and First Aid for Caregivers (eLearning) follows the latest American Heart Association and ECC/ILCOR guidelines and is nationally accredited.

This 6-hour focused topic training for caregivers covers how to recognize and support disordered eating and recovery from disordered eating.  Participants will learn when and how to seek professional help, feeding practices to encourage a positive eating environment for all ages, and reasons that hoarding occurs and how to respond to it.

Meaghan Ormsby, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian with 15 years of experience treating disordered eating and child feeding issues. She sees male and female clients of all ages in her private practice in Edmonds, WA. Her graduate thesis focused on the benefits of a positive relationship with food related to healthy habits and sustained healthy eating practices.  She has experience with food insecurity as a respite foster care provider and an adoptive mother. Meaghan is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.

This is Section 2 of the 3-hour in-service level training for Social Workers that explores the principles of child development across the age ranges of birth to three years, three to five years, five to 11 years, and 11 to 17 years.  In each age range, factors that affect development across physical, social, emotional, cognitive and reproductive domains, as well as the developmental effects of abuse and neglect on those domains are examined through videos, worksheets, and case scenarios.  Information is provided about services and resources to support Social Workers and children in care.

Participants can view and get credit for completion of all or only specific sections of the elearning:

• Section 1: Foundational Concepts of Child Development (30 minutes)
• Section 2: Birth to Three Years (60 minutes)
• Section 3: Three to Five Years (30 minutes)
• Section 4: Five to 11 Years (30 minutes)
• Section 5: 11 to 17 Years (30 minutes)

This is Section 1 of the 3-hour in-service level training for Social Workers that explores the principles of child development across the age ranges of birth to three years, three to five years, five to 11 years, and 11 to 17 years.  In each age range, factors that affect development across physical, social, emotional, cognitive and reproductive domains, as well as the developmental effects of abuse and neglect on those domains are examined through videos, worksheets, and case scenarios.  Information is provided about services and resources to support Social Workers and children in care.

Participants can view and get credit for completion of all or only specific sections of the elearning:

• Section 1: Foundational Concepts of Child Development (30 minutes)
• Section 2: Birth to Three Years (60 minutes)
• Section 3: Three to Five Years (30 minutes)
• Section 4: Five to 11 Years (30 minutes)
• Section 5: 11 to 17 Years (30 minutes)

• Form stronger friendships with peers
• Have higher self esteem
• Regulate their moods more easily
• Be more successful in their problem solving skills
• Bounce back from emotional events more quickly
• Get sick less often

This three hour webinar will provide you with tools and resources about Healthy Sexual Development needed to ensure the children in your care have the necessary information and support to become healthy adults. Upon completion, you will be able to identify what healthy sexual development is by age and stage of development, recognize your own possible discomfort in talking about healthy sexual development with children and youth, and you will be able to integrate healthy sexual development conversations with children and youth into everyday life.

Without memories, how do you understand who you are? These slices of life are tied to emotions, learning and growth, and help us maintain connections to our personal history and life story.

Often we use tools like photographs or stories or memorabilia to recall feelings or look back on events. The new training "Honoring Their History: Memory Preservation for Children in Care" focuses on how to support a child's well-being through the recording of memories and other parts of their life during their time away from their family.

This webinar introduces the idea of memory preservation as central to a child's welfare, because it provides many benefits to emotional and mental health. You will be guided through how to start the process and the different methods of preservation, and will be encouraged to think about which would work best for you and your family. You also will explore a variety of ways to gather information from both the child and other important adults in the child’s life.

At the close of this training, you will have an individual plan for documenting and preserving memories in a way that honors the child's past and present.

This 90-minute in-service level course will help caregivers identify and support youth who are at risk for or are being commercially sexually exploited.  The training will provide a framework for understanding this issue that greatly impacts adolescents in the child welfare system, as well as for understanding the basic practices that support helping these youth reach positive outcomes. 

Learning Objectives:

• Know the legal definition of commercial sexual exploitation of children
• Understand how commercial sexual exploitation might happen to a youth
• Understand how experiencing commercial sexual exploitation may impact a youth
• Be able to spot signs that youth are at risk for becoming (or are) commercially sexually exploited
• Have strategies for caring for youth who are at risk for becoming (or have been) commercially sexually exploited

Support sessions are utilized to address a caregiver’s specific needs and build specific skills. Identified goals are created and progress toward those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after the session. Prior to scheduling a support session, caregivers need to complete the class “Parenting a Native American Child: Partnering in the Interest of Culture for Caregivers (eLearning).”

This session provides in-depth support around specific topics identified by the caregiver as needed. The topics for this session may include:

1. Understanding ICWA, regulations, and expectations state staff must follow;
2. What is most important for caregivers to know (jurisdiction, Tribes’ voice in cases, connection for the child, etc.);
3. Placement preference;
4. Active Efforts;
5. QEW (Qualified Expert Witness);
6. LICWAC (Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committee); and
7. Permanency.

This Session for Caregivers builds upon information contained in Caregivers Core Training (CCT) and additional training around the importance of Family Time. Caregivers will learn their role in Family Time, including how they can support the child, and will more deeply understand the pivotal role that Family Time plays in supporting children’s relationships with birth families. Participants will gain skills to successfully team with others involved in the child’s Family Time, and will explore how to be a resource to birth families. This session includes activities that allow the caregiver to assess the effects of Family Time on the child(ren) in their care and create a plan to address any concerns which may arise in the futurere.

If it’s been a while since you cared for an infant or if you’ve never cared for one before, this is the course for you. This 2.5-hour eLearning provides the basic information you’ll need to care for babies ages birth to 12 months and keep them safe. You will practice identifying the infant behaviors that are the clue to understanding your baby’s needs. You will then apply this knowledge with some of the fundamental tasks of infant care (holding, feeding, diapering, sleep and medical care) while considering how trauma may impact how you provide care in these areas. Finally, you will learn about elements of infant safety, including safe sleep and the Period of Purple Crying.

This 3-hour in-service training for caregivers provides an introduction to the adoption process including the homestudy, adoption support, the legal process and steps to adoption. This training is open to all participants: those who have not taken Caregiver Core Training, those who have, and those who are using the training as a field placement. This training helps caregivers consider their decisions around public and private agencies and whether to foster to adopt or pursue adoption only.  The focus of the training is understanding the process including the emotional impacts of commitment, changing your family, grieving and attachment. 

The training will also give information about:

• open adoptions
• the placement process
• resources
• and more.

Going through an investigation can be scary. Understanding the process, knowing your rights and being informed about the laws and process can make it a lot easier.

This course provides licensed and unlicensed caregivers a deep look at the Licensing Division (LD) Child Protective Services (CPS) and Licensing Investigation (LD) processes, starting with Intake, through the investigation, and concluding with the report and the potential for appeals. Information shared here includes a look at the laws that apply to Intake screening decisions, how determinations/finding outcomes are reached, and what a compliance agreement is and in what circumstances it is used.

You will have many interactive discussion opportunities and activities where you can talk through the learnings.

By the end of this course, you will have information about the investigation process, including what everyone’s roles are, the outcomes, and what rights you have. You will be better equipped to handle allegations, and you will know the documentation needed to help support you through the process.

The financial, legal, and emotional issues of raising a relative’s child can be challenging. Services and support when raising a relative’s child can be a lifesaver.  Kinship caregiving in all of its forms is becoming increasingly common.  Recent WA State child welfare data (Partners for Our Children-1/1/2015)   show that 41 percent of children in out of home care are living with a relative.  Many more children are living with relatives or other close family friends informally, without the ongoing supervision of the state’s foster care system. 

Often kinship caregivers do not access the benefits which are available to them. This class will address the issues that Kinship Caregivers struggle with most:

1. Financial Needs
2. Legal Challenges
3. Navigating public service systems
4. Needing more social services
5. Information about resources/caregiving

This 90 minute webinar is designed for licensed and unlicensed caregivers caring for children currently or previously involved in the dependency system.  Caregiver Core Training (CCT) is not a prerequisite. However, this course is supplemental to CCT for kinship caregivers, and can be a field experience during CCT.

Mandatory reporters play a key role in ensuring the safety of vulnerable children. These professionals are obligated to report concerns about abuse or neglect, and this eLearning will guide you as mandated reporter through the process of identifying and documenting those concerns.

This training breaks the process down into three parts: Recognize, Record and Report. Through the training, you will understand what indicators of abuse to look for; how to appropriately record and what information to have; and what happens when a report is filed.

You will consider the impact of biases on reporting possible child abuse and neglect, and learn about the problem of racial disproportionality in our state’s child welfare system. The training also covers the federal requirement of identification of Indian heritage and affiliation with federally recognized tribes.

At the conclusion of the training, you will feel confident in understanding your role in keeping children safe.

This workshop will provide foster parents, caregivers, relatives and fictive kin with information to assist them in navigating the system, managing the investigative process of allegations, but more importantly, learn ways to minimize the risks of allegations.

• Share ways to minimize the risk of an allegation.
• Learn how the investigative process works.
• Review common practices and procedures.
• Explore and practice documentation and reporting.
• Discuss how best to survive the allegation process.

To remember an idea, you might write it down. At an event, you might take a picture. As a caregiver, you are the custodian of the milestones and memories of a child’s life for the whole welfare team, so understanding how and why to document elements of that is crucial.

This 1.5-hour webinar training will cover best practices for documentation to prepare and support you and others involved in the child’s life, with the ultimate goal of sharing information, concerns and progress. Focused learnings around why documentation matters are central to the course – specific scenarios help translate ideas to real-life examples. You also will leave with an individualized plan for what, when and how to document, based on the process that will work best for you.

This 3-hour In-Service level training provides Caregivers with an introduction to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), tribal sovereignty and the impacts on foster parenting.  The Indian Child Welfare Act obliges child welfare agencies and caregivers to take certain steps to protect and preserve the rights and cultural and familial connections of children covered by the act.  For non-Federally recognized tribes (and in other circumstances), Washington State enacted policy related to Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committees (LICWACs) to staff tribal cases and these impacts and supports are also discussed.  This training explores the legal, historical, and social biases which have impacted and continue to have a disproportionate impact on Native American children and families.  Caregivers will review basic information and skills needed to work with families and children who are covered under ICWA and LICWAC.  The State of Washington’s legal and policy guidelines around placement and permanency preferences for children covered by ICWA and LICWAC are explored, as well as the various manners in which Tribes can take jurisdiction or chose to otherwise be involved in Child Welfare cases.  Skills and resources are also discussed to help caregivers support and develop a child’s cultural identity and tribal connection.

This first in a seven-part, sequential course helps you develop an understanding of the underlying causes of a youth’s behavior, which is one of the first steps in supporting their well-being.

This multimedia-driven course will expose you to a variety of composites of youths facing trauma and you will learn how events can affect long-term behaviors. A large portion of this training involves lessons about brain function and how trauma or disruptions manifest. Key learnings will include how to transition this information into real-life parenting situations, including how to get to a place where you can understand the “why” behind the behavior.

At the close of the course you will be able to define trauma and recognize how traumatic stress and adversity impact a youth’s development. You also will understand the importance of responding to the underlying cause of a youth’s behaviors. You will leave with handouts and other resources to support your learning going forward.

Each part of the Parenting Teens series should be taken in sequential order.

Parenting the Positive Discipline Way is a series of six in-service level series of trainings for foster and kinship caregivers which explores tools to teach valuable social and life skills to children instead of using any form of punishment, rewards, praise, permissiveness or logical consequences.  This six-part Positive Discipline series will help foster parents and kinship care providers to better understand why discipline with abused and neglected children is different from the discipline that typically works with children who have not been abused or neglected.  Participants will learn how to use effective discipline that is kind and firm, creates connection before correction, is empowering and encouraging to children to believe in their own capability, and keeps the joy in caregiving.  Participants will gain practice with experiential exercises, group discussions, and handouts to develop skills for getting into the child’s world to understand the belief behind behavior in order to motivate change.  Topics and techniques apply to all ages and many settings.

The six sessions are each 2.5 hours and may be taken individually or in any order. 

Session 2: What Is Positive Discipline? Session 2 explores what Positive Discipline is, how to be kind and firm, the three R’s of punishment, the 5 criteria, Positive Discipline no-nos, understanding the brain, and how to implement positive time outs.

The Alliance also offers An Introduction to Positive Discipline for those who are interested in experiencing a 2 hour sample of Positive Discipline training around techniques and principles for your home.

In addition, the Alliance offers individual coaching sessions around implementing Positive Discipline techniques.  The coaching session requires that a participant has completed at least one of the sessions of Positive Discipline.

Additional Resources

Click one of the images below to hear about Positive Discipline from Dr. Jane Nelsen (author and co-founder of Positive Discipline), and Darcey Hancock (Statewide Administrator of the Division of Licensed Resources in Washington).  You will hear them discuss some of the foundational concepts of Positive Discipline, and how WA State Law around discipline fits with Positive Discipline techniques.

Parenting the Positive Discipline Way is a series of six in-service level series of trainings for foster and kinship caregivers which explores tools to teach valuable social and life skills to children instead of using any form of punishment, rewards, praise, permissiveness or logical consequences.  This six-part Positive Discipline series will help foster parents and kinship care providers to better understand why discipline with abused and neglected children is different from the discipline that typically works with children who have not been abused or neglected.  Participants will learn how to use effective discipline that is kind and firm, creates connection before correction, is empowering and encouraging to children to believe in their own capability, and keeps the joy in caregiving.  Participants will gain practice with experiential exercises, group discussions, and handouts to develop skills for getting into the child’s world to understand the belief behind behavior in order to motivate change.  Topics and techniques apply to all ages and many settings.

The six sessions are each 2.5 hours and may be taken individually or in any order. 

Session 4: Why Children Misbehave. Session 4 explores childhood decisions, natural consequences, logical consequences, solutions, family meetings, and routine charts.

The Alliance also offers An Introduction to Positive Discipline for those who are interested in experiencing a 2 hour sample of Positive Discipline training around techniques and principles for your home.

In addition, the Alliance offers individual coaching sessions around implementing Positive Discipline techniques.  The coaching session requires that a participant has completed at least one of the sessions of Positive Discipline.

Additional Resources

Click one of the images below to hear about Positive Discipline from Dr. Jane Nelsen (author and co-founder of Positive Discipline), and Darcey Hancock (Statewide Administrator of the Division of Licensed Resources in Washington).  You will hear them discuss some of the foundational concepts of Positive Discipline, and how WA State Law around discipline fits with Positive Discipline techniques.

Parenting the Positive Discipline Way is a series of six in-service level series of trainings for foster and kinship caregivers which explores tools to teach valuable social and life skills to children instead of using any form of punishment, rewards, praise, permissiveness or logical consequences.  This six-part Positive Discipline series will help foster parents and kinship care providers to better understand why discipline with abused and neglected children is different from the discipline that typically works with children who have not been abused or neglected.  Participants will learn how to use effective discipline that is kind and firm, creates connection before correction, is empowering and encouraging to children to believe in their own capability, and keeps the joy in caregiving.  Participants will gain practice with experiential exercises, group discussions, and handouts to develop skills for getting into the child’s world to understand the belief behind behavior in order to motivate change.  Topics and techniques apply to all ages and many settings.

The six sessions are each 2.5 hours and may be taken individually or in any order. 

Session 6: What is My Part? Session 6 explores lifestyle priorities, mistakes as opportunities to learn, and empowering versus enabling.

The Alliance also offers An Introduction to Positive Discipline for those who are interested in experiencing a 2 hour sample of Positive Discipline training around techniques and principles for your home.

In addition, the Alliance offers individual coaching sessions around implementing Positive Discipline techniques.  The coaching session requires that a participant has completed at least one of the sessions of Positive Discipline.

Additional Resources

Click one of the images below to hear about Positive Discipline from Dr. Jane Nelsen (author and co-founder of Positive Discipline), and Darcey Hancock (Statewide Administrator of the Division of Licensed Resources in Washington).  You will hear them discuss some of the foundational concepts of Positive Discipline, and how WA State Law around discipline fits with Positive Discipline techniques.

This eLearning focuses on how caregivers can best support and care for pregnant and parenting youth (and their children) who are living in foster care. Participants will identify their roles and responsibilities and determine what they are able and willing to do. They will also gather information about supports, resources and partnering with the other members of the child welfare team.

This e-learning on Prudent Parenting is for both Caregivers and Social Workers. This training discusses the parenting decisions that fall to the Caregiver according to the Prudent Parent Law, provides a few additional considerations when making prudent parenting decisions for children in care, and presents several scenarios that address frequently asked questions related to the Prudent Parent Law.

You made the choice to step in and provide care for a child when they needed it. This choice changed the day-to-day rhythms of your life and the life of the child or children you are caring for. As a grandparent or relative caregiver, this choice also changed your relationship with the child(ren)’s parents and sometimes with other adults in your family. In this course, we will explore how family relationships between adults have change and how you feel about these changes. We will learn and practice solution-focused communication skills that might help in navigating relationships with the parents of the child(ren) you are caring for. Lastly, we will review resources and sources of support to help lighten your load.

¿Sabía que más de la mitad de los asientos de automóvil para niños están instalados incorrectamente? El automóvil es un lugar peligroso para un niño, pero hay muchos recursos que pueden ayudarlo a asegurarse de cumplir con todas las pautas legales y de seguridad. Este breve curso de aprendizaje electrónico es el punto de partida perfecto, ya que lo ayudará a seleccionar, ajustar e instalar el asiento de automóvil de manera correcta cada vez que necesite transportar a un niño. Encontrará una descripción general de los requisitos básicos y de las leyes del estado de Washington, así como consejos y ejemplos reales de instalación. El curso está lleno de datos útiles y asombrosos: el momento adecuado para que un niño deje de usar un asiento elevador puede sorprenderlo. También encontrará enlaces a muchos recursos externos, donde podrá obtener información más detallada.

This course is also available in English at https://allianceforchildwelfare.org/content/car-seat-safety-select-fit-and-install-correctly-elearning-caregivers

Getting a new placement is a big transition, and there are many ways you can prepare for and navigate the process to make it as successful as possible for yourself, your family and the youth or child. This webinar addresses both the emotional elements to new placements and the practical details of requirements, paperwork, forms and expectations.

You will focus on four areas: Getting Ready; The First Day, Week and Month; Settling In; and Working With the System. You will share ideas with other participants around how to prepare for a new placement, including ways to make them feel comfortable and safety precautions to take. A big part of this training is understanding which forms you will receive and what they mean; what meetings, appointments or hearings you need to be aware of; and who the key players are during this time.

You will leave the training with an understanding of what is expected during the first 30 days of a new placement. You also will know how to access resources when you have questions – you will probably have many, but there is a great community of support available to you and the new child in your care.

Treehouse Education Advocates work with schools, caregivers, social workers and youth in foster care statewide to resolve difficult issues and remove barriers to school success.

In this training, learn how to access education-related support services; including special education services; and how to advocate for youth who may experience discipline or behavioral issues at school. Treehouse facilitators will also discuss the importance of stabilizing school placements and the educational rights of students experiencing foster care. Finally, caregivers will have the opportunity to learn about the basics of establishing and maintaining positive school relationships in order to create educational success for children and youth in foster care.

In this facilitated discussion group, we will share experiences, resources, and best practices for caring for infants and children who have been exposed to chemicals in utero. We will discuss signs of withdrawals in infants; what works best in caring for an impacted infant including therapeutic handling techniques and share parenting experiences and Resources. We will also discuss issues, behaviors, interventions, effective parenting techniques, and resources for the children in your care.

As a prospective adoptive foster parent, your journey from placement to adoptions is different from other adoption experiences. The goal of concurrent planning leads to unique challenges and beautiful opportunities. During the three sessions, you will consider some of the challenges of the foster-to-adopt process and develop strategies to help you fulfil your role in the adoption triad.

As a caregiver for a child in the foster care system, grief and loss are an inherent part of your journey. You may be grieving a placement that isn’t going as expected or hoped. Even as you celebrate a child’s return home or to an adoptive placement, your family may be grieving the loss of a child or experiencing a sense of loss due to a disrupted placement.

During this supportive facilitated discussion, we will talk about the realities of grief and loss as they relate to the fostering experience.  We will share strategies for recognizing grief in yourself, partner, or your children. And we will look at ways to acknowledge the complexities of loss, navigate grief, and share healthy strategies for walking through the grieving process.

You will also engage in supportive discussions about how to experience loss and yet continue to provide a safe and loving environment for children placed with you in the future.

During the two sessions, you will share your experience, and develop useful strategies as a foster caregiver and help your fellow caregivers do the same.
 

As an LGBTQIA+ caregiver have you felt that your Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) impacts your fostering journey?

In this supportive facilitated discussion group, you will get a chance to talk with other LGBTQIA+ kinship and foster caregivers about their experiences and share your own.  As a group, you will talk about useful tools and techniques for navigating common issues faced by LGBTIA+ caregivers and use these to develop strategies specifically for your family.

This single session facilitated discussion is specifically for kinship and foster caregivers who identify as LGBTQIA+ caring for children with any SOGIE.

This facilitated discussion group is a continuation of the seven-part “Parenting Teens” webinar. This group will continue to explore strategies for parenting teens with a history of trauma, developing healthy and supportive relationships with your teen, nurturing their identity, and understanding their challenging behaviors. You’ll work with other parents of teens to develop an action plan that takes into account your and your teen’s unique circumstances and proactively addresses the challenges you face. 

The CaRES team leads you through a reading and discussion of The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. 

The Connected Child lays out the foundational principles for Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a therapeutic model that trains caregivers to provide effective support and treatment for at-risk children. 

We’ll dive into the meaning and topics of TBRI during the five weekly meetings, plus discuss new strategies for building connection and managing behaviors. 

The series includes...

• The connection between what children have experienced, their struggle with difficult behaviors, and how we can move forward with connection.
• Providing structure and a nurturing environment for children, which includes disarming fear and providing felt safety.
• Nurturing while addressing challenging behaviors and strategies to make life easier during those challenges.
• Brain chemistry and impact of trauma on the brain. 
• Addressing your own needs, healing, and self-care as caregivers.

You have thought long and hard about what it means for you to be a foster parent. You may even have ideas of how many and what types of children you would like to welcome into your home. While you wait for your license or first placement to arrive, this facilitated discussion will help you consider some of the needs in the fostering community and how you are suited to meet them. You’ll work toward developing a set of parameters for accepting your first placements to promote a good fit for both you and the child(ren) placed in your care.

Recent research has shown that children have very complex understandings of differences and how they make meaning of stereotypes. Far from being color-blind, most children are aware of how their own skin color is an advantage or disadvantage.  They also judge their peers based on these differences — even though many adults believe young children in today’s generation don’t stereotype. Because of this, it is important to give children anti-bias messages, through actions and words that actively counter what they are internalizing and witnessing in the world.

In this workshop we will explore how children and youth learn and practice racism and privilege. Participants will learn strategies to for acting on teachable moments and ways to create counter narratives. 

This training is presented by Dr. Caprice Hollins and/or Ilsa Govan, M.A., co-founders of Cultures Connecting, LLC. 

Dr. Hollins received her doctorate in clinical psychology with an emphasis in multicultural and community psychology in 1998. She has over 14 years of experience teaching graduate courses, working with historically marginalized populations, researching, studying, and facilitating race related conversations. Her experience includes opening and directing the Department of Equity & Race Relations for Seattle Public Schools, developing and implementing district-wide and school-based trainings, while utilizing her background in psychology to assist district leaders and staff, institutionalize change to promote equity and social justice. She also currently works as a part-time core faculty in the department of counseling at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.

Ilsa Govan, M.A. has more than 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher and anti-racist community activist. She began her work for social and environmental justice in high school with her involvement in advocating for Native American rights. Since then she has facilitated, organized and participated in numerous workshops, study circles and conferences across the country. Ilsa worked as an Equity and Race Specialist for Seattle Public Schools, addressing institutional racism in a large organization. She has also served on the planning teams of the Seattle Race Conference and the White Privilege Conference. Ilsa earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Western Washington University and her Master’s Degree in Bicultural Human Development from Pacific Oaks College Northwest. For her thesis, she spent a year studying effective European American teachers of African American students in three Seattle elementary schools.

TBRI® is an attachment-based approach to parenting that is designed to meet the complex needs of children. TBRI uses the Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors.

This training module is designed to give participants insight into the roots of self-regulation difficulties common among “children from hard places.” This module aims to give participants practical tools to facilitate learning and practicing self-regulation skills.

This training is the second of a three part series.

TBRI® (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. This course is an overview designed to give you exposure to all parts of TBRI® by highlighting the ways in which each section of the intervention strategy fits into the holistic nature of TBRI®. The first few activities provide an opportunity for you to become comfortable with each other, share successes and challenges with each other, and become familiar with the basic ideas of TBRI®.