As foster parents gain experience with children in care, they will be faced with more and more parenting challenges and will need opportunities to learn new and more relevant information, improve skills, and practice new strategies. All team members in this partnership for children in care are expected to become increasingly competent in working to meet the on-going needs of the children we serve and their families. Continued Parent Development training opportunities provides foster parents with opportunities for growth and expansion and is a requirement for continued approval as a family foster Care placement resource for children. 

The following guidelines should be noted:

• Foster parents who have been approved as placement resources for children in care are required to complete a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of Continued Parent Development each calendar year. 
• Completion of the required parent development activities begins the first calendar year after MAPP preparation is completed and the family is approved. The approval date determines when additional training is due. 
  • Example: A family completes GPS/DT:Mapp and is approved in June 2001. The Family must complete parent development hours between Jan 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002. 
• The yearly time period for completing parent development training activities is January 1 - December 31. 
• Each county/cluster is responsible for arranging or securing parent development activities for its foster parents. 
• Credit hours earned for continued parent development activities must relate to one or more of the twelve (12) GPS:MAPP skill areas.
  • Twelve (12) hours must focus directly on skill development or enhancement in one of the 12 skill areas. 
  • Three (3) hours of credit may be used to meet the personal growth and development needs of the foster parent, including counseling by a professional, credentialed counselor, participation in a support group, or stress management. 
• Parent development activities may be provided by state or county staff, or other qualified, credentialed and/or licensed professionals.
• Parent development hours may be earned for : 
  • Training sessions 
  • Classes and courses 
  • One-on-one training provided by a credentialed trainer or educator. 
  • Conferences and mini-conferences (with prior state approval) 
  • GPS:MAPP (The entire series, if not previously had) 
  • Agency approved online training (6 hours maximum) 
• Parents providing Level of Care (LOC) services to children must acquire additional training beyond the mandatory 15 hours in order to meet the special needs of children placed in their home. 
• Relative foster parents are required to complete yearly continued parent development activities.

The following are not acceptable methods of earning Continued Parent Development hours:

• Continued parent development credits cannot be earned by attending individual GPS:MAPP sessions (ex. Meeting 5 only) 
• Credit hours may not be earned by reading books, articles, literature, etc.

Continued Parent Development should be geared toward on-going training and development in the skills necessary to parent the children placed in care.

1. Know your own family 

   Enhance skills to assess and build individual and family strengths and needs. 

2. Communicate Effectively 

   Expand and strengthen communication skills. 

3. Know the Children 

   Develop a greater understanding of the various needs of children placed in care; what makes them unique or behave in the manner in which they do? 

4. Build Strengths; meet needs 

   Sharpen skills for observing, building and encouraging the unique individual strengths of children toward overall growth and development.

5. Work in Partnership 

   Expand and solidify the ability to work in partnership with children, birth families, agencies and the general community in developing and carrying out the permanency plans for children. 

6. Be Loss and Attachment Experts 

   Enhance skills for helping children develop healthy ways of dealing with issues of loss and attachment. 

7. Manage behaviors 

   Sharpen disciplinary techniques that will be instrumental in helping children to manage their own behaviors and feel lovable, capable, worthwhile and responsible. 

8. Build connections 

   Develop a greater understanding of the importance of helping children maintain connections with their past and supporting their connection with significant others. 

9. Build self-esteem 

   Broaden knowledge and skills in mentoring positive self-concepts in children and an appreciation for their cultural and racial uniqueness. 

10. Assure Health and Safety 

    Learn ways of maintaining healthy and safe surroundings for children. 

11. Assess Impact 

    Enhance self-assessment skills to determine the on-going impact of fostering individually and as a family. 

12. Make an informed decision

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