Ongoing Caregiver Training
Family foster caregivers are required by the State of Ohio to complete 40 hours of training every two years to maintain their foster care license. Treatment foster caregivers are required to complete 60 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 foster caregiver through LCCS, enroll yourself in training sessions through E-TRACK:
https://e-track.teds.com/EveryOne/TEDSEveryOne.jsp - If you are a foster caregiver through another agency, or if you are a daycare provider for LCCS, you will NOT be in E-TRACK.
- Please call 419-213-3505 to reserve a seat on a space-available basis for foster/adoption ongoing training.
Post Registration NOTES/Instructions:
- Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
- We are adhering to strict COVID-19 guidelines. Facemasks and social distancing are required.
~ Training Schedule ~
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
– HELD IN LUCAS COUNTY –
AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and CPR with AED
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 • 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
**Hands-on Testing from 2-4pm for LCCS Caregivers
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Ryan Hennessey
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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 will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and CPR with AED
Saturday, September 10, 2022 • 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
**Hands-on Testing from 2-4pm for LCCS Caregivers
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Mark McBee
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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 will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
Educational Advocacy: Helping Your Child to be Successful in School
Saturday, September 10, 2022m• 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Brian Lowery
ITNA Code: 994-1
6 Credit Hours
As sure as parents and caregivers are children’s most important teachers, children’s ideas about education and its significance begin there, as well. Therefore, foster parents have a responsibility to participate actively in their children’s education. This class will offer caregivers an opportunity to enhance their own skills in assisting children in their academic pursuits. This course also serves as a basic introduction to understanding special education and surrogate parenting.
Examining Unconventional and Mischaracterized Trauma Expressions in Black Males
Monday, September 12, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
LaToya Logan
ITNA Code: 318-54
6 Credit Hours
Raising awareness related to diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment referrals based on a lack of cultural inclusion surrounding Black males who exhibit aggression and apathy is the necessary first step to addressing disparities. Viewing apathy as a defense mechanism encourages social workers to strengthen their assessments and challenge outcomes. It allows for a deeper understanding of how trauma experiences can manifest into aggression and apathy based on cultural norms and environmental factors that have not been evaluated. Through cultural competence and inclusion of cultural differences, social workers can lead changes in the fields of mental health and social services. They can help promote equity in educational programming and support, make court referrals for treatment options instead of confinement, and develop more effective assessments and treatment interventions that have a direct impact on individuals, families, and communities.
Healthy Sexual Development of Children and Teens
Thursday, September 15, 2022 • 5:30 pm -8:30 pm
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Mary Beth Olender
ITNA Code: 923-FF5A-S
3 Credit Hours
This training, part of the Fundamentals of Fostering series, introduces basic concepts of sexual development and the Johnson continuum of childhood sexual behavior. Normal sexual behaviors for children from birth to adolescence are outlined along with factors which may influence a child’s sexual behaviors. The training will help foster parents know when a child’s sexual expression is normative and developmentally appropriate.
A World of Opportunities: Substance Use Indicators-Hidden in Plain Sight
Saturday, September 17, 2022 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
*ONLINE*
Tamme Smith
ITNA Code: 988-56-DL3
3 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.
NOTE: This course is offered through a virtual platform, enabling you to participate from your own home or office. A few days prior to the session, learners will be emailed connectivity instructions. Each participant needs to connect individually from a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet.
What’s the Foundation of Your Parenting?
Tuesday, September 20, 202 • 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
*ONLINE*
Jody Johnston-Pawel
ITNA Code: 925-48-DL3
3 Credit Hours
The foundation of your parenting is your parenting “style”. If you never learned anything about parenting, your “fallback” style would be how you were raised. When you learn new information, it can “bump up against” your childhood experience. This workshop looks at how we are “programmed” to be parents, and how we can choose our parenting beliefs and “programs” so we are more conscious, intentional, effective parents. First, set your parenting goals; then see a parenting “style show” that reveals what research has identified as the long-term results of the five parenting styles. Next, identify which style you are and/or want to be. Lastly, get practical tips for “getting on the same page” and working together as a team with your parenting partners. Learning objectives:
- Understand the difference between conscious and subconscious mind
- Understand how subconscious beliefs and programming determine perceptions and decisions
- Identify their parenting goals
- Know how to identify the five parenting styles
- Understand the short- and long-term outcomes for each style
- Know how to balance each style so it gets positive short- and long-term results
- Know how to establish relationships, build trust, and foster teamwork with birth parents or parenting partners who may have different styles.
AHA Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and CPR with AED
Saturday, September 24, 2022 • 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
**Hands-on Testing from 2-4pm for LCCS Caregivers
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Deanna Prezioso
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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 WILL be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for certification of Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
Boredom, Loneliness & Apathy: Helping Youth and Families Improve Wellness
Monday, September 26, 2022 • 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
*ONLINE*
LaToya Logan
ITNA Code: 318-67-DL3
3 Credit Hours
The inability to self-stimulate contributes to a significant amount of negative behavior expresses, impulsivity, and engagement in high-risk behaviors across ages. Adolescents who struggle with the self-regulation have difficulty engaging with their peer groups, and even those who have no history, may exhibit signs of poor regulation due to the imposed social restrictions. This workshop will help participants understand the clinical descriptions of boredom, loneliness, and apathy to improve treatment applications because of enhanced evaluations of their impact and influence on mental wellness. Participants will discuss the impact of the COVID19 precautions on mental wellness and the link to boredom or loneliness. Participants will gain awareness of clinical strategies to support clients who struggle with self-stimulation and/or socialization related to depression, anxiety, or life adjustment.
Sufficient Time to Regroup and Mend: Preventing Disruption
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 952-8
6 Credit Hours
This workshop revisits the basic purposes of foster care placement, looks at the impact of loss of family and familiar surroundings on the child in care, and considers factors related to placement disruption. Participants will learn the five most common reasons for placement disruption and how disruption complicates the child’s process. Participants will explore what foster parents can do to assure a good “fit” prior to and during the child’s placement in their home, and how to make placements successful – allowing sufficient time for the child to regroup and mend. The importance of good and timely permanency planning, and the maintenance of placement stability throughout the child’s separation from his/her birth family are overriding themes throughout this presentation.
Oppositional Behaviors: A Look at ADD/ADHD, ODD, and other Defiant Behaviors
Thursday, September 29, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Northwest Ohio Regional Training Center (711 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604)
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 995-44
6 Credit Hours
This workshop underscores the importance of labeling behaviors and certain personality characteristics – not the child. Participants will understand how some oppositional behaviors in childhood can be attributed to parenting style, family and life circumstances, or core temperaments, while other more clinically significant oppositional behaviors may be related to diagnosable conditions rooted more in the child’s biology or genetics. Participants will explore the origin of behavior in children and come to a better understanding of why children oppose boundaries, rules, and authority. Oppositional behaviors are best managed with timely and skilled interventions; and the earlier, the better. The sometimes-controversial issue of medication versus no medication for behavior issues will be discussed. Participants will become more aware of interventional approaches, goals, and effective resources for helping children become more responsible and more accountable for their own behavior.
— HELD IN SANDUSKY COUNTY —
Engaging Primary Families
Friday, September 16, 2022 • 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
2511 Countyside Dr., Fremont, Ohio 43420
CeCe Norwood
ITNA Code: 928-FF8A-S
3 Credit Hours
This training, specifically designed for licensed foster caregivers in the early years of their foster care development, will address the importance of engaging primary families. Common barriers to strong relationships with the primary family will be discussed. Participants will consider how a child might be impacted if they lose their connections with their primary family. Strategies to support positive relationships with primary families will be explored. This training is part of the Fundamentals of Fostering series.
— HELD IN WOOD COUNTY —
Interventions for Children who Suffered Trauma
Saturday, September 17, 2022 • 9:00 am -4:00 pm
1928 E. Gypsy Lane Rd., Bowling Green, OH 42402
Dave Zidar
ITNA Code: 923-29
6 Credit Hours
Children in foster care have a vastly higher rate of trauma than their non-foster peers. Some estimates are that 51% of the children in care suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. All adults in these children’s lives must have an understanding of the role trauma plays in their behavior and achievement of developmental milestones. Participants need to understand that the impact of trauma is idiosyncratic – each child will manifest it differently. Participants will learn ways to help improve functioning, as well as how to work with the mental health system.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
Essential Parenting: Understanding and Managing Behavior in Children
October 11, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 925-59
6 Credit Hours
This workshop considers how those caring for children can become more intentional, less stressed, and less passive and/or reactive when working with children and their behaviors. Participants will consider five important factors contributing to healthier and happier family settings. They will explore the importance of establishing boundaries, structure, and routines, and the correlation between good boundaries and improved child behavior. They will look at the clear differences in a discipline vs. punishment (abuse) approach to child behavior management. They will identify and understand their specific parenting style and will consider three basic and essential core principles directly related to effective and successful care-giving/parenting. Finally, eight practical techniques will be presented as “tools” to effectively manage child and adolescent behavior.
Role of Caregivers in Healthy Sexual Development of Children and Teens
October 11, 2022 • 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Mary Beth Olender
ITNA Code: 923-FF6A-S
3 Credit Hours
This training, part of the Fundamentals of Fostering series, helps caregivers discuss sexual issues with children and adolescents in a way that is consistent with their developmental level. Content also includes strategies on how to maintain a supportive and safe environment with children and adolescents that encourages healthy sexual development and provides exposure to normal experiences that promote healthy sexual development appropriate to each child.
Going Back Home: Perspectives on Family Reunification
October 12, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 947-14
6 Credit Hours
Foster parents will explore the foster child’s reunification with the birth family from several perspectives. Remembering that reunification is the primary permanency goal in classic foster care placement, participants will discuss the importance of family preservation for the child. They will grapple with the difficult process of saying good-bye to the child who has shared their heart and home and ways to help the foster family deal with the loss of the child. They will consider what they can do to prepare the child for transition back to his/her family, and how foster parents, the caseworker, and the birth parents can work together to assure a smooth and lasting transition back home. Participants will consider possible post-reunification roles they may be able to play in the life experience of the child. Special situations will be discussed, including last-minute changes in permanency plans – when dreams of making an adoption plan are shattered by unexpected developments; and professional and personal postures in foster care practice will be explored, such as how to handle decisions to reunify that appear to be questionable, and more.
Normalcy and the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard
October 15, 2022 • 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Cherylanne Norwood
ITNA Code: 923-77-S
3 Credit Hours
This three-hour training introduces caregivers to the concept of normalcy and defines the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard (RPPS). Caregivers will learn what needs to be considered when applying the RPPS and will practice applying the standard in a number of scenarios.
AHA Pediatric HeartSaver First Aid and CPR Without Skills Testing
October 15, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm**
Ryan Hennessey
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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.
**Please note that there will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
AHA Pediatric HeartSaver First Aid and CPR Without Skills Testing
October 18, 2022 • 9:00 pm – 4:00 pm**
Mark McBee
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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.
**Please note that there will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
*ONLINE*
Burnout, Secondary Trauma, and Self-Care
October 25, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Laura Perkins
ITNA Code: 313-79-DL3
6 Credit Hours
This presentation seeks to clarify the continuum of reactions that child welfare workers and supervisors, and other helpers and healers, may experience due to exposure to secondary and primary trauma in their work. Participants will learn risk contributors to developing burnout and secondary traumatic stress, as well as mitigating factors. A range of self-care domains will be discussed, including conceptualizing self-care in alignment with Dr. Siegel’s Healthy Mind Platter (Siegel, 2011). The facilitator will guide participants through several experiential activities, including a chair yoga demonstration, breathing exercises, guided meditation, and development of an individualized self-care plan using SMART goals.
NOTE: This course is offered virtually via an online platform, enabling you to participate from your own home or office. A few days prior to the session, learners will receive an email containing connectivity instructions. Each participant needs to connect individually from a desktop computer, laptop or tablet. We need to track each person’s participation and engagement, which is not possible if connected as a group. Please do not use a mobile phone, as you may not have access to all functionality.
Interventions with Reactive Attachment Disorder
October 29, 2022 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
David Zidar
ITNA Code: 924-24
3 Credit Hours
Many children suffer from a pathology classified by the American Pediatric Association as Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). This disorder is rooted in disrupted attachment in childhood – between the ages of 0 and 5. This three-hour workshop will provide to students an understanding of the origins of the pathology, family reactions, signs, symptoms, and interventions.
AHA Pediatric HeartSaver First Aid and CPR Without Skills Testing
October 29, 2022 • 9:00 pm – 4:00 pm**
Deanna Prezioso
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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.
**Please note that there will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
Interventions with ADD/ADHD
October 29, 2022 • 1:00 am – 4:00 pm
David Zidar
ITNA Code: 995-60
3 Credit Hours
Many children suffer from a pathology classified by the American Psychiatric Association as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The goal of this course is to provide foster parents with an understanding of what is going on in their child and how to manage it. The course covers practical skills and interventions at each stage of child development and applies methods throughout the life cycle. This class is short on theory and heavy on what to do now. This three-hour workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the origins of the pathology, family reactions, signs, symptoms, and interventions.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
– ONLINE –
Keep Your Cool: Anger and Stress Management
November 1, 2022 • 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Jody Johnston Pawel
TNA Code: 926-14-DL3
3 Credit Hours
Prevent stress from bubbling over and anger from erupting by using the practical tools in this workshop. Discover two simple steps any adult or child can take to create an individualized stress and anger management plan. Get special tips for teaching mindfulness and self-regulation skills to children and high-risk adults who often live stressful lives without healthy coping skills or positive support systems.
A World of Opportunities: High Risk Behaviors are Hidden in Plain Sight
November 5, 2022 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tamme Smith
ITNA Code: 988-50
3 Credit Hours
This workshop will explore the ways society portrays drugs, gangs, and sex, and these portrayals effect our youth. Information will be provided about Ohio drug trends. Participants will explore a model of a teen’s bedroom, seeking possible cues or signs that could hint to risky and/or illegal activity, including underage drinking, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Participants will gain strategies for working with youth and primary parents who demonstrate trauma indicators that manifest in gang involvement or the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Information about local resources and support will be provided.
Difficult Conversations:” Why Do I Have to Live with You and Not My Mom?”
November 8, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 924-4
6 Credit Hours
All children are impacted by the loss of their birth parents and family when removal and foster care placement are facilitated. Reasons for foster care placement are often complicated, difficult to explain, and confusing to the child or adolescent placed in care. Children of all ages enter care with many questions, concerns, and anxiety. The child may ask direct questions, clam up, or use non-verbal, negative behaviors and attitudes when they have no words to express what they are feeling. This workshop will help foster parents become more effective in initiating and negotiating difficult conversations with children placed in their care. They will develop better listening skills and gain expertise in implementing practical, age-appropriate approaches to opening conversation between themselves and their foster children. More ease and effectiveness in negotiating difficult conversations will lessen the incidents of disruptions in foster care placement.
Courageous Choices: The Benefits of Adoption from Three Perspectives
November 8, 2022 • 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 947-18
3 Credit Hours
Making the choice to develop an adoption plan is both a courageous one and one beneficial to the birth parent, the child, and the adoptive parents. The birth parents come to the realization that their circumstances provide less than adequate prospects for their child’s future; while the adopting parent accepts the challenge and the opportunity to parent a developing child with all his or her capacities and potential. The child transitions from one family to another with the oversight and care of a trained, professional caseworker. Often the child’s foster parent works with the birth parent, the child, the adoptive parents, and the caseworker in helping the child transition from foster care to permanency as smoothly, as comfortably, and in as timely a manner as possible. This transition in the lives of the birth parents, the child, and the adoptive parents, while at times painful and tenuous, can result in win-win benefits for all involved. This workshop is more a group conversation about adoption than a formal class presentation. It explores the path, the pain, and the celebration of adoption from the perspectives of the birth parent, the child, and the adopting parent. It looks specifically at the roles played by the case manager and the foster parents who are providing care without the intent to adopt. It considers how the foster caregiver and the caseworker work together in understanding the feelings, concerns, and issues of all parties involved in the transition from birth family to adoption.
Rebuilding Trust and Affectional Bonds: A Look at Insecure and Reactive Attachment Disorders
November 9,2022 • 9:00 am -4:00 pm**
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 924-33
3 Credit Hours
Participants will understand how positive attachments are formed from the womb through childhood, and how abuse, neglect, and/or separation from primary caregivers and familiar surroundings can negatively impact normal development. Participants will examine the importance of parent-child bonding to the development of a healthy and strong personality, as well as how the loss of such connections impacts the child’s sense of trust, security, and self-identity. The characteristics of children with “trust” disorders will be presented, ranging from stressed attachment through Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). The workshop will consider family and professional intervention strategies when working with the RAD child.
– HELD IN WOOD COUNTY –
Normalcy and the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard
November 12, 2022 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cherylanne Norwood
ITNA Code: 923-77-S
3 Credit Hours
This three-hour training introduces caregivers to the concept of normalcy and defines the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard (RPPS). Caregivers will learn what needs to be considered when applying the RPPS, and will practice applying the standard in a number of scenarios.
– HELD IN WOOD COUNTY –
Engaging Primary Families
November 12, 2022 • 1:00 am -4:00 pm
Cherylanne Norwood
ITNA Code: 928-FF8A-S
3 Credit Hours
This training, specifically designed for licensed foster caregivers in the early years of their foster care development, will address the importance of engaging primary families. Common barriers to strong relationships with the primary family will be discussed. Participants will consider how a child might be impacted if they lose their connections with their primary family. Strategies to support positive relationships with primary families will be explored. This training is part of the Fundamentals of Fostering series.
Class will be closed to anyone arriving more than fifteen (15) minutes late.
The Self-Injurious Child: A Look at Mutilation, Embedding, and other Harmful Behaviors
December 2, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 995-46
6 Credit Hours
This workshop takes a closer look at a growing phenomenon recently called “the new age anorexia” – intentional self-injury: the act of deliberately harming one’s body, such as cutting or burning oneself (Mayo Clinic). This workshop will explore reasons why children would want to intentionally hurt themselves. Participants will become more aware of the forms or expressions of self-injury, and learn how to recognize the signs, symptoms, and indicators that a child in their care may be self-injurious. Participants will know what to do if confronted by this issue in their home setting. Self-help techniques that can be practiced in the home will be presented, as well as information relative to what professional help and treatment modalities are available and effective in dealing with this serious and fearful problem.
When Life isn’t Fair: Childhood Loss, Separation, and Grief
December 3, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Gene Smiley
ITNA Code: 995-72
6 Credit Hours
This workshop takes a look at the impact and resolution of various losses sustained in childhood. Participants will consider losses experienced by children as they move from one home setting to another (birth to foster, and/or foster to birth, and/or foster to adoptive), and the impact such transitions have on the child relative to separation anxiety and difficulty in making new attachments while grieving the loss of previous ones. Participants will be able to recognize symptoms and behaviors related to separation and come to a greater understanding of loss and grief in children, the power of good support, and resiliency. Foster and adoptive parents will explore practical techniques that are useful in helping a child work through the loss, separation, and grief related to multiple transitions in placement.
– ONLINE –
Preventing and Solving Sibling Conflict
December 6, 2022 • 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Jody Johnston Pawel
ITNA Code: 948-5-DL3
3 Credit Hours
Attend this informative workshop to get practical tips for introducing new children into the foster family, the three best tools for preventing sibling rivalry, two techniques to use when you need a quick fix, and three steps to follow to mediate sibling or peer conflict in a way that teaches children how to resolve future conflicts independently and peacefully. These techniques result in less competing, comparing, complaining, arguing, fighting, and tattling, and more sharing, cooperating, listening, communication, respect, peace, and independent conflict resolution.
Behavior Management
December 10, 2022 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
David Zidar
ITNA Code: 925-53
3 Credit Hours
This learning, Behavior Management, is simply just that – how to manage behavioral issues. The learning goes through the continuum of behaviors that all children may present, from stealing to physical assault. The goal of this session is to provide the skills to manage these behaviors with a reduced level of reactivity. This session is recommended for anyone who works with children or manages an environment where children exhibit challenging behaviors.
Helping Children of Mentally Ill Parents
December 10, 2022 • 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
David Zidar
ITNA Code: 995-345
3 Credit Hours
Many of the children and adolescents in care have birth parents who suffer from some type of mental illness. It is critical for foster parents and kinship providers to have a basic understanding of mental illness and the workings of the system set up to treat them. This workshop will provide a discussion about the feelings of the children in regard to their parents’ illness. It is critical that everyone who interacts with parents continues to grow in their understanding of these very vulnerable people.
AHA Pediatric HeartSaver First Aid and CPR Without Skills Testing
December 14, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Ryan Hennessey
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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.
**Please note that there will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
AHA Pediatric HeartSaver First Aid and CPR Without Skills Testing
December 17, 2022 • 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mark McBee
ITNA Code: 990-42-NOS
4 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.
**Please note that there will be a 2 hour mandatory hands-on skills testing for Lucas County Children Services licensed caregivers only. For caregivers from other counties who wish to seek certification can attend this portion for a fee, payable to the trainer.
Preventing Placement Disruptions Before Placement Begins
December 17, 2022 • 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
DeDe Prezioso
ITNA Code: 952-23
3 Credit Hours
This workshop will give participants an understanding of the most common reasons for placement disruption and the stages of disruption. Participants will also gain an understanding of the factors that most commonly lead to placement stability and lower levels of disruptions. Participants will examine the current practices used both before and during placements being in their home and will also examine how these practices can lead to disruption and/or preservation of placement. Finally, participants will discuss and gain an understanding of steps they can implement that will help minimize placement disruptions before the placement even enters the home.
Understanding and Surviving Grief and Loss While Fostering: The Emotional Roller Coaster
December 17, 2022 • 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
DeDe Prezioso
ITNA Code: 989-67
3 Credit Hours
This class will give participants an understanding of the reactions to grief and loss and explain ambiguous loss theory. Participants will gain an understanding of the similarities and differences between the emotions they experience, the emotions children in care experience, and the emotions experienced during a final loss such as death. Participants will examine how the emotions experienced during grief and loss are related to their role of foster caregiver and how they can effectively care for themselves and manage their emotions.
Visit Information For Current Foster Parents,
for additional information about ongoing training requirements and resources.