Offer online foster parent training

About this recommendation

Many agencies have paused their resource family training and licensing efforts during the pandemic. However, the need for safe placement options for foster children can’t afford to wait.

By offering online training and online or telephone recruitment and orientation events, you can continue to license families while limiting in-person contact.

How to do this

• Use an existing online foster parent training. The Caregiver Core Training (CCT) is an online system developed by the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence in Washington State. You can view their training materials here. If you think this is a viable option for your child welfare agency, you can contact Christina Coad at the Alliance directly (ccoad@uw.edu).

• Conduct telephone orientations. Washington, D.C. developed an approach for conducting orientation sessions over the phone which was well received by families who attended. The agency provided a PowerPoint presentation for attendees to follow along and had a foster parent on the line to offer a real-world perspective.

• Conduct online orientations. You can use the same slide deck and materials as you would for an in-person orientation, or add an interactive element by using a platform like Google Forms to create a scored quiz. If your agency uses Binti, you can provide an online orientation video for families to watch. Afterwards, families can complete a quiz in order to get credit.

• Convert your own in-person training to online training. If you prefer to use your own training instead of an existing online training, you can convert your materials.

• Follow promising practices for online training. In developing their own online training, Michigan identified several promising practices:

  • Offer an online option for families to connect with one another. You can create a closed Facebook group for each class to help participants build connections and form a support group.
  • Schedule frequent classes. For two-parent households, this will allow parents to more easily switch between attending the training and spending time with children.
  • Keep classes short. A full-day class is often too long for many participants to do online. Build in short breaks throughout the class so that participants don’t disengage.
  • Set online meeting guidelines before the first class. Not all participants will be familiar with online meetings. Guidelines can include general expectations, online meeting manners (i.e. how to dress appropriately, when to mute), and instructions on using the technology. Leave time at the beginning of the meeting to assist with any technical difficulties.
  • Include an interactive element, such as a questionnaire for each session to make sure that parents understand the material as the trainer covers it. Cut any hands-on activities that can’t easily be done remotely. Instead, stop to discuss the material more often.
  • Cap the class at approximately 20 people to make sure that everyone can engage.
  • You can contact Jessica Sweet at Michigan DHHS if you have any questions (SweetJ2@michigan.gov).

Anticipated costs and benefits

Outcome data

• Los Angeles County found that when given a choice, more than 90% of families (approximately 9,000 to date) opted to complete orientation online.
• In addition to being convenient for families and vital during COVID-19, Los Angeles County found that online orientations reduce staff workloads and free up staff time for other priorities.

Who's doing this

4 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

• Washington State offers the Caregiver Core Training, developed in partnership with the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence.
• Washington, D.C. developed an approach to conduct orientation sessions over the telephone.
• Michigan offers online training.
• Los Angeles County conducts most of its orientation sessions online.