Adoption Education - adopting - adoptive - foster parents - professionals - searchers
Services for foster parents include training, education, insurance, search for former foster children.
Online education resources for those seeking to adopt or foster, adoptive and foster parents, searchers, and adoption professionals includes formal online training and courses, as well as resources for offline education.... [more]
Adoption Learning Partners This resource for online adoption education offers an excellent (and growing) selection of courses for adoptive families including "Conspicuous Families: Race, Culture & Adoption." Newer courses address the adoption tax credit and talking with children.
Adoption Road Map Family Preparation Course From The Learning Center, this is an excellent course for future adoptive parents. It is an online version of an agency-taught or state adoption department adoption course. TLC is offered by the National Adoption Center. Cost: $100.
Education - Search & Reunion This online class from Adoption Search & Counseling Consultants looks at a series of issues in our community. Articles are rotated periodically and deal with search, the birthparent experience, reunion, and others.
FosterParentTraining.com Complete training course, except for hands-on certification and CPR requirements, for future foster and adoptive (in many states) parents. One year membership: $24 (reimbursable in many cases).
Foster Parent Training Online The entire FosterParentscope Training program is presented in this award-winning Web site from Washington State. Adapted from the SUNY Fosterparentscope curriculum.
Institute for Adoption Education, Inc. Providers and developers of educational projects, mainly targeted toward professionals and the media to better educate about all aspects of adoption.
MAPP Training (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) Description of classes for those approaching adoption and foster parenting through their state public agencies.
Mentoring Moms Educational presentations for adoptive parents of challenged children, with a focus on mild to moderate issues.
National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption Technical assistance, consultation, and training for public and private agencies. From Spaulding for Children.
Online Training for Foster Parents A wonderful selection of online courses for foster parents covering topics from high needs babies to a range of disorders and challenges. Take the course(s) of your interest online and completion certificates are issued immediately. From Foster Parent Community.
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Comments
I honestly wish that more information had been available to me when I began my career as an adoption professional. While I was simply a fundraiser (coordinator of grants, etc.) and an advocate for the agency for which I worked, I always felt segregated from the rest of the agency -- particularly those that were working "in the field" -- and as if there were not enough resources available to me becuase I wasn't part of the "hands-on" team. And because the need was so great for funding, and they were SO desperate when they hired me initially to begin the work, I didn't have an adjustment period or chance to learn as much as I wanted.
I think this is a common problem in agencies for all positions. I've said it before, but professionals need to take more time and DEMAND more time from supervisors and coordinators to learn as much as they can about adoption and to make use of the many resources that are out there. Otherwise how can we best serve the important parents, children and families for whom we work? And while it is common to say "I'll do it when there is more time," or "I'll do it when there is a lull," I think the reality is, that lull never comes. The demand for work is never-ending. But I certainly think things would run more efficiently if professionals would take the time to educate themselves and make themselves knowledgable about the world around them! I know I'm taking some time today to look at all the wonderful resources provided above, and hopefully it will make me better at my job!
Posted by: avalanche at 11/12/2005 11:26 AM
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