Ongoing Caregiver Training
Resource families(formerly named foster caregivers) are required by the State of Ohio to complete 30 hours of training every two years to maintain their foster care license. Treatment resource families are required to complete 45 hours. The curriculum is developed in accordance with the caregiver’s Individual Training Needs Assessment (ITNA) and Individual Development Plan (IDP).
Registration Instructions:
If you are a resource family through LCCS, enroll yourself in training sessions through CAPS LMS:
Should you need assistance, please contact Catrina Carwell at 419-213-3505 or by e-mail [email protected]
If you are a resource family through another agency, or if you are a daycare provider for LCCS, you will NOT be in CAPS LMS. Please contact Mrs. Bennett-Kanu to register as a guest.
~ Training Schedule ~
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
*VIRTUAL*
Building Parental Resilience for Kinship Care
Thursday, September 4, 2025 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Lauri Wolf, Instructor
Locator# 23897
1.50 Credit Hours
This course helps participants understand the importance of self-care and provides practical ideas on how to do it. Learners will understand signs of stress and burnout and recognize the importance of maintaining their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This course describes parental resilience and why resilience is important. It also covers how caring for children who have experienced trauma, separation, or loss can impact a caregiver’s own well-being. Also covered are the behaviors that foster a protective environment for parents and children.
*ERIE COUNTY*
GAP: Transitioning from Foster Care to Adoption
Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Angela Buckalew, Instructor
Locator# 23901
2.75 Credit Hours
This Guided Application and Practice (GAP) session provides opportunity for foster and adoptive parents to learn from the experiences of the facilitator and from the experiences of each other. Through guided discussion, the facilitator, a former foster and an adopted child, will encourage conversation and sharing of experiences surrounding transitioning from foster care to adoption.
*ERIE COUNTY*
Communicable Diseases – Protecting Your Family’s Health
Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 1:00am – 4:00pm
Angela Buckalew, Instructor
Locator# 23906
3.00 Credit Hours
Resource Readiness – PREVENTION, RECOGNITION, AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
The primary purpose of this training course is to educate caregivers in identifying signs and symptoms of illness and contagious conditions, protect themselves from exposure, learn how to respond to an exposure risk, and how to transfer their knowledge to educate family and children in the home. The course content and activities will prepare caregivers to make appropriate decisions about preventing and educating on communicable disease transmission.
*IN PERSON*
AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and Adult and Child CPR Without Skills Testing
Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Ryan Hennessey, Instructor
Locator# 23627
6 Credit Hours
This course utilizes the American Heart Association Pediatric First Aid and CPR course materials but does not include skills testing. The participant receives a comprehensive overview of first aid basics for children, as well as CPR and AED use for all ages. This workshop is approved for OCWTP training hours only and does not certify the participant in CPR or First Aid.
**Please note that there is 2-hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. ** For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
*VIRTUAL*
Kinship Parenting
Monday, September 22, 2025 | 1:00pm – 4:15pm
Lauri Wolf, Instructor
Locator# 23908
1.83 Credit Hours
This one hour and 50 minute course acknowledges the complexities associated with caring for children who are related to or known to the kinship caregiver, including divided loyalties, redefining roles, and relationships, setting boundaries with parents and other relatives, and the range of emotions, including anger, resentment, guilt, and/or embarrassment that caregivers can feel. Strategies for managing family dynamics and conflicts, identifying triggers, and effectively managing stress are shared.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
*VIRTUAL*
Building Parental Resilience for Kinship Care and their Community
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Lauri Wolfe, Instructor
Locator# 26252
1.50 Credit Hours
This course helps participants understand the importance of self-care and provides practical ideas on how to do it. Learners will understand signs of stress and burnout and recognize the importance of maintaining their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This course describes parental resilience and why resilience is important. It also covers how caring for children who have experienced trauma, separation, or loss can impact a caregiver’s own well-being. Also covered are the behaviors that foster a protective environment for parents and children.
*IN PERSON*
*Please call NWORTC to register*
Teens in Foster Care and Emotional Resiliency
Friday, October 10, 2025 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Jewel Harris, Instructor
Locator# 26307
3.00 Credit Hours
Regardless of where young people are placed in the child welfare system, they need to develop boundaries, emotional health, and the skills to build lifelong relationships. There are specific tools that can help young people overcome the trauma of their pasts and navigate adult relationships. This workshop has been designed to incorporate the insights of foster care alumni throughout the nation to equip professionals to facilitate the emotional development of youth in care. It includes national research on foster care alumni and post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants will leave with concrete tools to support adolescents in foster care with the development of personal boundaries and the skills to build trusting, restorative relationships.
*IN PERSON*
Red Cross First Aid and Adult & Pediatric CPR with AED-No skills test
Saturday, October 11, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Nicole Bolduc, Instructor
Locator# 24528
6.00 Credit Hours
This course utilizes the Red Cross Pediatric First Aid and CPR course materials but does not include skills testing. Participants in this course will learn to recognize and respond to emergencies, including shock, heat and cold emergencies, sudden illness, and poisonings. Additionally, the participant receives a comprehensive overview of CPR and AED use for all ages. This workshop is approved for OCWTP training hours only and does not certify the participant in CPR or First Aid.
*Please note that there is 2-hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
** For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
*VIRTUAL*
*Please call NWORTC to register*
What Caregivers Should Know about Online Safety for Youth Who Have Experienced Out-of-Home Care
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Elliot Hinkle, Instructor
Locator# 26247
1.50 Credit Hours
In today’s digital age, teaching youth about internet or online safety is paramount. This 90-minute virtual training session is designed specifically for caregivers who play a vital role in supporting youth in developing key life skills for navigating the world. There will be interactive discussions, practical tips, and real-world examples, as caregivers gain the knowledge and tools necessary to empower the youth in their care to navigate the online world responsibly and keep themselves and their peers safe. By the end of this 90-minute virtual training session, caregivers will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively teach youth about internet safety, navigating social media, and empowering them to navigate the online world responsibly and thoughtfully. A major focus of this session is helping youth know who to trust online, how to recognize red flags, and what to do when facing unsafe situations.
Key topics covered will include:
- Online predators, including adults who pose as children or teens online
- Cyberbullying
- Sexting and sextortion
- Human trafficking
- Unsafe or predatory online groups
*VIRTUAL*
Street Smart Ohio Series: Everything Marijuana
July 22, 2025 | 9:00pm – 12:15pm
Shawn Bain, Instructor
Locator# 26267
3.00 Credit Hours
Marijuana affects so many families and so many lives in Ohio. Marijuana use has often been referred to as a “gateway” drug, leading to harder drug use. The instructor doesn’t use this term and doesn’t believe Marijuana use causes a person to use harder drugs; the instructor does believe there is a correlation between Marijuana use and the use of harder drugs. Marijuana has changed more than any other drug in recent years with the addition of Cannabis concentrates such as “Dabs” and “Shatter” making this drug more potent and dangerous. Ohio State law has changed, creating Medical Marijuana and Recreational Marijuana available to Ohioans, and everyone needs to become familiar with these laws.
*IN PERSON*
Dual System Youth: Providing Trauma-Informed Care and Advocacy for Youth Involved in both Child Protection and Juvenile Justice
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Lauri Wolfe, Instructor
Locator# 26255
3.00 Credit Hours
Resource Readiness – Legal and Ethical Issues At-risk youth involved in child protection services and the juvenile justice system often experience additional trauma and heightened stress due to dual system involvement. This can result in increased behavior issues and academic difficulties. Resource caregivers need to be prepared and equipped to manage these challenges. A crucial aspect of readiness involves understanding and advocating for the youth; and educating the youth about the legal procedures, the connection to their care, and available supports and/or programs.
*IN PERSON*
Confidence in the Court Process for Resource Caregivers
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Lauri Wolfe, Instructor
Locator# 26268
3.00 Credit Hours
A court-involved child protection case can be overwhelming due to the complex process, including understanding the timeline and hearings, preparing youth, and testifying. This course aims to provide a clear explanation of those issues as well as strategies to manage them. Additionally, the course will describe attorney tactics and identify tools to help individuals prepare for and effectively testify in court.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
*VIRTUAL*
A World of Opportunities: Substance Use Indicators – Hidden in Plain Sight
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Tamme Smith, Instructor
Locator# 17044
3.00 Credit Hours
Learn about Ohio’s drug trends while virtually exploring various settings and types of drug paraphernalia. Learn how to identify possible substance misuse through symptoms/signs. Finally, arm yourself with resources to support someone struggling with a substance use challenge.
*Virtual*
Trauma Related Behaviors
Thursday, November 6, 2025 | 9:00am –11:00am
Kelly Brewer, Instructor
Locator# 26370
2.00 Credit Hours
Resource Readiness – TRAUMA AND ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND THE FAMILY, PROMOTING ATTACHMENT
This course helps participants learn how chaos, threat, neglect, and other adversity during development can alter the developing brain and that, in turn, can change the ways children think, feel and act. Participants will understand the major stress-responses we use to cope with perceived and actual threat and the reasons for and range of adaptive symptoms from inattention and distractibility to avoidance and shutdown. Also covered are the reasons for rejection and testing and recognition of the survival skills and coping strategies that result in a complex range of behaviors.
*VIRTUAL*
Making Morning Madness Melt Away:
Getting Kids Up, Dressed, Fed, and Out the Door on Time
Monday, November 10, 2025 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Jody Johnston Pawel, Instructor
Locator# 26371
3.00 Credit Hours
Starting the day off in a stressful way can make everyone grumpy and late. Children with trauma often experience issues that impact their morning routine. Fortunately, there are no more delays in bringing you the tools and support you need to make your mornings go smoothly. This workshop runs through the Top 6 Most Common Morning Hassles parents experience and offers quick, proven–effective ways to prevent or respond to each including children not waking, dressing, and feeding themselves, slow wakers, dawdlers, distraction, defiance, delaying, refusing to brush teeth, missing the bus or chronic tardiness, toddlers resisting getting into car seats, children forgetting their homework or lunches.
*IN PERSON*
AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and Adult and Child CPR Without Skills Testing
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Mark McBee, Instructor
Locator# 23628
6 Credit Hours
This course utilizes the American Heart Association Pediatric First Aid and CPR course materials but does not include skills testing. The participant receives a comprehensive overview of first aid basics for children, as well as CPR and AED use for all ages. This workshop is approved for OCWTP training hours only and does not certify the participant in CPR or First Aid.
*Please note that there is 2-hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
** For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
*VIRTUAL*
Get Cooperation the First Time You Ask
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Kelly Brewer, Instructor
Locator# 26372
2.75 Credit Hours
Do you ever shake your head, wondering why children often do what you just told them not to do? This workshop reveals why and how to prevent this baffling behavior by using three key tools for getting children to cooperate the first time you ask —without power struggles, threats, bribes, incentives, or stickers — while fostering internal motivation. You’ll also discover which tots might go through a “no” phase and which teens might rebel – and how to beat the odds. Using the tools in this workshop often requires only small subtle changes in your language but can often result in both quick changes and long-term results!
*VIRTUAL*
Separation, Grief, and Loss
Friday, November 14, 2025 | 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Kelly Brewer, Instructor
Locator# 26311
3.00 Credit Hours
Resource Readiness – TRAUMA AND ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND THE FAMILY, PROMOTING ATTACHMENT
This course helps participants understand the impact of separation and ambiguous loss, and the different ways children grieve. Life-long grieving and the importance of providing opportunities for grieving is explored. Strategies to help children deal with grief and loss are identified. Participants will understand loss and fractured attachments with birth family members and previous placements; recognize the importance of establishing and maintaining essential relationships with and for children; understand the impact of frequent moves and the importance of managing transitions for children; and understand the separation, grief and loss experienced by all members of the foster/adoption network.
*VIRTUAL*
Building Trauma Competent Healing Foster and Adoptive Parents: Four Essential Skills
Monday, November 17, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Ruby Johnston, Instructor
Locator# 26350
6.00 Credit Hours
How does early childhood trauma impact the development of a child? Are there strategies to promote healing? The answers to both these questions and more will be answered in this six-hour course. Foster/adoptive parents and those workers who are involved in their lives, will leave this workshop with a deeper understanding of how trauma shapes the five “b’s”: the brain, body, biology, belief and behavior of a youngster. All participants will gain understanding how connected parenting can intervene in the negative trajectory of a child’s life and set it on a course of healing.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
*VIRTUAL*
GAP: Transitioning from Foster Care to Adoption
Tuesday, December 9, 2025 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Angela Buckalew, Instructor
Locator# 26317
3.00 Credit Hours
This Guided Application and Practice (GAP) session provides opportunity for foster and adoptive parents to learn from the experiences of the facilitator and from the experiences of each other. Through guided discussion, the facilitator, a former foster and an adopted child, will encourage conversation and sharing of experiences surrounding transitioning from foster care to adoption.
*VIRTUAL*
Communicable Diseases – Protecting Your Family’s Health
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 | 2:00pm – 5:15pm
Angela Buckalew, Instructor
Locator# 26319
3.00 Credit Hours
Resource Readiness – PREVENTION, RECOGNITION, AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
The primary purpose of this training course is to educate caregivers in identifying signs and symptoms of illness and contagious conditions, protect themselves from exposure, learn how to respond to an exposure risk, and how to transfer their knowledge to educate family and children in the home. The course content and activities will prepare caregivers to make appropriate decisions about preventing and educating on communicable disease transmission.
*VIRTUAL*
Behavioral Triggers of Traumatized Children: Prevention and Reactions
Monday, December 22, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
David Zidar, Instructor
Locator# 26316
6.00 Credit Hours
Identification of behavioral triggers in foster children and the management of them is critical to the wellness of children in care. Triggers are rooted in trauma. If caregivers have an understanding of social history, functional analysis, and de-escalation strategies, it will improve the outcomes for the children and the parents’ care (Both foster and primary families). While you cannot prevent all triggers, you can set the stage to reduce the frequency and have strategies for how to lessen the severity of the subsequent behaviors.
Visit Information For Current Foster Parents,
for additional information about ongoing training requirements and resources.