Vol. 7, No. 2• May 2003

Training Opportunities for North Carolina Foster Parents

Become a Certified MAPP/GPS Leader

Exciting news! The N.C. Division of Social Services now offers a “train the trainer” course for MAPP/GPS certification for foster parents who have two or more years of experience. Completing this training certifies foster parents to co-lead MAPP groups in partnership with a county DSS or a private child-placing agency.

The Child Welfare Institute, author of the MAPP/GPS curriculum, strongly recommends that MAPP be presented to prospective foster and adoptive parents by a pair of trainers, one of whom is an agency representative and one of whom is a foster parent. Yet in the past, North Carolina’s MAPP certification process has been difficult for foster parents to attend because it has only been held on weekdays during working hours. To make it easier for foster parents to become certified to co-train MAPP, the Division has begun holding this certification training at a more convenient time. The training is:

  • Provided in seven days rather than eight
  • Offered on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of one week and then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday approximately two weeks later to reduce the amount of time participants must take off from work
  • Appropriate for inexperienced trainers, in that it contains information on training and presentation skills, as well as other topics pertinent for foster parent leaders
  • Offered in the Greensboro area to provide centralized access for all areas of the state
  • Offered at no registration cost (hotel, travel, and food expenses will be the responsibility of the participant or the sponsoring agency)

Contact Sarah West of the N.C. Division of Social Services’ Staff Development Team at 919/733-7672 for more information about this training.

*********************

Attend “Helping Youth Reach Self-Sufficiency”

Here’s an opportunity for foster parents to learn how to teach a course for foster parents AND help foster teens prepare to live on their own.

Independent Living Resources, based in Durham, is recruiting foster parents interested in spending the weekend of October 10–12, 2003 in Burlington to learn what it takes to be a foster parent trainer on topics related to foster teens.

The course, “Helping Youths Reach Self-Sufficiency,” will cover the basics of independent living, including assessing youths, making decisions, and building assets, as well as how to use education, employment, and the community in the process.

Foster parent participants will also learn to organize a two-hour training for other foster parents in their area. Participants will have an opportunity to practice training skills at the seminar. Upon returning home, the foster parent trainers will conduct trainings locally. A follow-up class will be offered several months later for the participants to share their experiences and learn new training techniques.

The course is sponsored by the NC LINKS program and is offered FREE to foster parents. The LINKS program will pay lodging and meals for foster parents to attend. Prior to registering for the course, attendees must ask their licensing worker to support them in this effort to train foster parents.

The seminar begins at 3 p.m. on Fri., October 10 and ends at 1 p.m. on Sun., October 12, 2003. To register, complete the following registration form and return it to ILR, Inc., 411 Andrews Road, Suite 230, Durham, NC 27705 or fax to (919) 384-0338. Registration Deadline: September 5, 2003. For more infomation, contact Nancy Carter (800/820-0001; [email protected]).

*********************

Registration Form
“Helping Youth Reach Self-Sufficiency”
Residency Training

Independent Living Resources, Inc.
411 Andrews Road, Suite 230, Durham, NC 27705
(919) 384-1457 or fax (919) 384-0338

Fill out this form (please print) and mail or fax to above address.

Registration Deadline: September 5, 2003

Registrant Information:

Name:

Address:

City, State, and Zip:

Phone and Fax:

Agency and Agency Address (if different than above):

Participant Interest:

How do you plan to use the skills learned in this seminar?


Do you have training experience?


When do you anticipate conducting your first foster parent training?


Time and Location:

Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12, 2003 at the Ramada Inn, Burlington, NC.
• Friday, 10/10: 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 10/11: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday, 10/12: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Copyright � 2003 Jordan Institute for Families