Training

Many children coming into care were prenatally exposed to drugs and/or alcohol. We will explore risk factors for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, look at the connection between brain impairment and behaviors, including impact of trauma & discuss reframing and other strategies for professionals and parents to better support children who were prenatally exposed to substances… Read more

See your kids in a whole new light! This webinar offers a toolbox of strategies for parenting children and teens. Topics include developing trust and attachment while helping children learn to manage their own behaviors, build self-esteem, and maintain sanity. The presenter will give special attention to the unique world of teens. Presented by Denise… Read more

Learn how to advocate for adoption assistance programs in your state or province. In these tight financial times, legislators sometimes seek to cut adoption assistance programs and advocates need to be ready to respond. Even if your adoption assistance program is not under threat, proactive advocacy can help maintain and even enhance these important benefits… Read more

The responsibilities of caring for children and youth who have experienced trauma and loss, as well as those of the support leaders who serve these caregivers can take a huge toll. As the flight attendant will tell you, “you must put your own oxygen mask on before helping others.” In this webinar, we will address… Read more

In this session, you will learn the basics of adoption assistance for children adopted from foster care, including eligibility, benefits, taxes, and more. The workshop is designed for both prospective parents seeking to learn more about the support available for the children they adopt and parents who are seeking an adjustment due to a change… Read more

Adoption Assistance Benefits and Eligibility Recorded November 29, 2019 Access the recording here Do you want to better understand adoption assistance benefits? In this session, you will learn the basics of adoption assistance for children adopted from foster care, including eligibility, benefits, taxes, and more. The workshop is designed for both prospective parents seeking to… Read more

Recorded on November 29, 2017: Strategic Sharing: Using Personal Stories for Child Welfare Advocacy Access the recorded webinar This webinar for young people who have experienced foster care and/or adoption, adoptive and foster parents, and leaders interested in child welfare advocacy teaches how personal stories can be powerful advocacy tools. This session addresses why personal… Read more

This webinar for young people who have experienced foster care and/or adoption, adoptive and foster parents, and leaders interested in child welfare advocacy teaches how personal stories can be powerful advocacy tools. This session addresses why personal stories can make a difference and best practices for telling or writing your own stories to achieve system… Read more

AdoptUSKids has recently published new public narrative-writing guidelines developed to help workers craft compelling narratives that protect the safety, privacy, and dignity of children. The principle behind these guidelines is that information about children should be shared on a continuum, with positive, descriptive information in the public profile that is available to all and information… Read more

November offers a prime opportunity for adoptive parent groups, youth networks, and others to raise their community’s awareness of adoption- and foster care-related issues. Whether you are trying to raise awareness about how to help adoptive families, increase your pool of prospective adopters, or increase community support for post-adoption or other permanency services, we can… Read more

In this webinar, Dr. Rowell explores how a child’s early experience with hunger or food insecurity can result in survival behaviors that continue in foster or adoptive families. These behaviors can include eating quickly, stealing or hiding food, getting upset if asked to share or slow down while eating, and more. The presentation helps parents… Read more

Every child entering foster care has experienced some amount of trauma—if nothing else, removal from his or her home and placement into foster care is itself traumatic. In most cases, children in the child welfare system have multiple experiences with trauma, often referred to as complex trauma. Parenting a child who has been separated from… Read more

In an adoption world where disruption looms all too often, this session offers a positive approach for workers and families. Here is a way to make sense of (and deal with) some of the negative feelings that adopted children can make their parents feel. Understanding this dynamic, as well as other key parent-child interactions which… Read more

Children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs, particularly alcohol, can have significant challenges with learning and behavior. When parents or foster caregivers understand the underlying causes and the impact on the brain from prenatal exposure, they can develop therapeutic parenting and teaching strategies that allow both parent and child to experience success! Presented by… Read more

Children do best when they know the truth about their lives. But sharing difficult information with children is not easy. This webinar will give participants the tools to discuss the most challenging situations (abuse, parental incarceration, death, HIV, incest, termination of parental rights) with children of all ages. Please bring your own challenging questions to… Read more

Research is revealing that the typical youth brain is not capable of true adult functioning until 20+ years of age – information that has critical implications in terms of cause and effect understandings, critical thinking skills and maturation. For youth who have experienced foster care and adoption, this developmental process can be significantly affected. This… Read more

Parenting a hurt child calls for innovative, creative, and nurturing ideas. Too often, parents can’t understand why techniques used to successfully parent other children simply have no effect. This session will explore which parenting tools do not work and why, and help parents retire those tools without guilt. Parents will then learn new ways to… Read more

All children, particularly those who have experienced trauma, need help and support learning to express and manage a wide array of emotions in order to feel and be safe. Once they learn to safely express feelings ranging from excitement to sadness to anger and confusion, their behavior will often improve. However, teaching children specific strategies is… Read more

Many children in adoptive and foster families come to us with challenging behaviors. Parents and caregivers need to have the knowledge, skills, and understanding of where these behaviors come from, and how to deal with them. This is one of the most common topics in support groups. Join us as we discuss and explore ideas… Read more