Agencies must provide training to help foster parents meet the needs of children in their care, assist with techniques in managing behavior to prevent abuse and neglect, and provide an understanding of the agency’s expectations. The process of training to become a foster parent is generally referred to as “pre-service training.”

New foster parents require preparation and training to be effective in their role. While final training requirements vary from from county to county and often agency to agency, training is always required and usually happen right before or at the same time you complete your application to adopt. These trainings help you understand what the child has been through and how to best integrate them into your family. Foster parents who have been accepted for a home study, or relatives who are in the process of a home study, must be introduced to the following:

• The problems that lead to family breakdown and the need to place a child in foster care.
• The problems and reactions of children upon separation and the function and responsibility of the foster family in relation to the child/parents/agency.
• The agency’s policy regarding having defined goals to achieve permanency for each child entering the foster care system.
• The authority of the local department social services, OCFS, and Family Court in supervising the agency’s practice.
• The nature of the relationship of agency staff to foster parents and children, including definitions of the function and responsibility of the caseworkers assigned to the children and their families.
• The payments to foster parents for care and expenses; the definition of foster family care; and certification or approval of the home.
• The rights and responsibilities of a foster parent as defined by a letter of understanding that must be executed at the time of certification or approval.

Foster parents who receive a higher board rate are required to actively participate in annual training.

MAPP Training

Many counties and agencies use the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting/Group Preparation and Selection (MAPP/GPS) pre-certification training program. Although it is not required by OCFS, it is the recommended preparation program.

The MAPP approach to foster parenting encourages open communication and trust among foster families, adoptive families, birth families, and casework staff. The MAPP program examines 12 criteria or skills necessary for successful foster/adoptive parenting. Through role playing, personal profiles, and other techniques, the home finder and the applicant make mutual decisions about foster parenting.

Objectives of the training for prospective foster and adoptive parents:

• Learning what to expect and what services are available.
• Acknowledging one’s own strengths and needs.
• Developing skills in giving love and attention to a troubled child
• Learning about stages of child development.
• Helping children manage behavior.
• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of teamwork.
• Helping foster parents develop a good understanding of the child’s parents.

In some agencies, a Mini-MAPP training program is also available to existing foster parents so that they can learn the approach.

Other Training for Foster Parents

Your local department of social services or other local agency may offer in-service training sessions for foster parents. These may be arranged or conducted by staff, with guest speakers from community hospitals, schools, and local police and fire departments. Be on the lookout for such opportunities and ask your caseworker about them.

Special training may also be available. Medical and mental health training can help foster parents manage certain issues and learn skills in dealing with them. Issues may include: child and adolescent development and behavior, emotional effects of child abuse and neglect, caring for a teen parent and her infant, domestic violence, loss and separation, behavior management, effects of drug and alcohol abuse, and depression.

Appropriate training can support foster parenting skills in recognizing signs of emotional distress in children and in providing crisis counseling. Such knowledge should help foster parents feel more confident in their role.

Health education programs for foster parents are valuable in covering many topics:

Childhood health requirements (e.g., immunization schedule), Common health problems and dealing with emergencies, Proper administration of medication and taking a child’s temperature, General infant/child/adolescent health care issues, Family planning and sex education, Information on common chronic diseases (asthma, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, etc.), HIV/AIDS education, infection control, and universal precautions, Fire safety training in the home, Nutrition and physical fitness.