Foster Care Training in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano
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Foster Care Training - Public and Private
AFS provides free, comprehensive foster care training to public and private agencies and individuals on a variety of topics related to foster care, mental health and family support. Contracted by Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, every class is led by certified personnel who conform to best practices.
Examples of training subjects include:
- pre-service training for adoptive and foster parents
- working within the child welfare system
- foster and adoptive parent orientation
- trauma-informed parenting
- de-escalation techniques
- First Aid/CPR
- cultural competency
- compassion fatigue
FAQs on Training for Resource Families and Professionals
Who are these service trainings open to?
Trainings are primarily open to current and applying foster and adoptive parents (Resource Parents), kinship caregivers, mental health and child welfare service providers, staff at accredited foster family agencies and individuals in need of continuing education and requisite training hours (CEUs).
Where are training sessions located?
Training classes are available in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano. Please see below for our training calendar and to register for an upcoming session.
How often does service training occur?
We aim to provide training sessions at least once a month, if not more frequently. For specific dates and information about classes and training sessions coming up, please see below for our detailed training calendar.
Get in Touch
Interested in learning more about service training and upcoming foster care training sessions and classes? Contact us via email at traininginfo@afs4kids.org o
Helpful Links
To learn more about foster care, mental health and the Resource Parent application process, be sure to check out these helpful links:
- Foster Care Training website for Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.
- How to Become a Resource Parent through AFS
- Resource Parent Application
- All About the AFS Adoption Process
- Current Job Openings with AFS
Training Calendar
Sign up for any class via email at: traininginfo@afs4kids.org
Please include the training, date and city in the subject line.
Exploring Foster Care and Adoption
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/5/2021
6:00PM - 8:00PM
This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.
Resource Family Pre Approval Training - Session 1&2
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/14/2021
10:00AM - 4:00PM
This training is designed to prepare resource families to work with youth in the foster care system. Participants will receive a better understanding of the foster care system structure and explore how to provide a well-planned, safe, and secure environment designed to meet children's individual and unique needs, and how to create an environment that promotes children's social emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Participants will continue to review; Interim Licensing Standard, Child Growth and Development, Medication Guidelines, Discipline, Working with Biological Families and understanding the Effects of Trauma.
Resource Family Pre Approval Training - Session 3&4
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/14/2021
10:00AM - 4:00PM
This training is designed to prepare resource families to work with youth in the foster care system. Participants will receive a better understanding of the foster care system structure and explore how to provide a well-planned, safe, and secure environment designed to meet children's individual and unique needs, and how to create an environment that promotes children's social emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Participants will continue to review; Interim Licensing Standard, Child Growth and Development, Medication Guidelines, Discipline, Working with Biological Families and understanding the Effects of Trauma.
Working Effectively with SOGIE and LGBTQ+ System Involved Youth
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/25/2021
5:00PM - 8:00PM
This training is designed for caregivers and professionals to understand the challenges the LGBTQ community face within the foster care system. Trainers will discuss the definitions of SOGIE. Like all young people, LGBTQ youth in foster care need the support of a nurturing family to help them negotiate adolescence and grow into healthy adults. However, LGBTQ youth in foster care face additional challenges. This course addresses common misconceptions about sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE), it teaches participants about the unique risks that LGBTQ youth face and the important role care takers and social workers can play in reducing those risks, and it provides tips for creating a welcoming home for LGTBQ youth. Participants will achieve basic competency with the community, including an understanding of terminology and experiences relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Presentation will be presented through handouts and group discussion.
Exploring Foster Care and Adoption
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/26/2021
6:00PM - 8:00PM
This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.
Understanding the Evolution of the COVID Virus & Vaccinations
For Everyone
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/26/2021
6:00PM - 7:30PM
Dr. Thompson will provide information about the Covid Virus, the Delta Variant and discuss how vaccines combats illness. She will deliver a clear understanding of how COVID-19 vaccines work and how it helps to look at how our bodies fight illness. She will review how the virus that causes COVID-19, invades human bodies, how it attacks and multiplies. This invasion, also called an infection, is what causes illness and how the immune system uses several tools to fight infection. Dr. Thompson will discuss how vaccines help people develop immunity to a virus.
Working Effectively with SOGIE and LGBTQ+ System Involved Youth- Spanish
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/27/2021
10:00AM - 1:00PM
This training is presented in Spanish and designed for caregivers and professionals to understand the challenges the LGBTQ community face within the foster care system. Trainers will discuss the definitions of SOGIE. Like all young people, LGBTQ youth in foster care need the support of a nurturing family to help them negotiate adolescence and grow into healthy adults. However, LGBTQ youth in foster care face additional challenges. This course addresses common misconceptions about sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE), it teaches participants about the unique risks that LGBTQ youth face and the important role care takers and social workers can play in reducing those risks, and it provides tips for creating a welcoming home for LGTBQ youth. Participants will achieve basic competency with the community, including an understanding of terminology and experiences relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Presentation will be presented through handouts and group discussion.
Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/9/2021
5:00PM - 8:00PM
Presenter will review the basic care and precautions while caring for infants in the foster care system. Covering best practices in sleep rules when caring for infants. Presenter will discuss new crib standards, crib recalls, safety hazards and how they affect a safe sleeping environment, addressing the proper way to feed and burp a new born infant and how to make certain the infant is consuming the proper amount formula, basic diaper rash symptoms and how to properly treat and prevent rashes. Presenter will discuss teething, infant development stages and milestone, well baby checkups, and immunizations. The basic side effects from prenatal drug exposure will be reviewed and how it can prevent the child from reaching age appropriate milestones, creating significantly more health issues and caregiving demands.
Exploring Foster Care and Adoption
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/12/2021
6:00PM - 8:00PM
This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.
Exploring Foster Care and Adoption
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/19/2021
6:00PM - 8:00PM
This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.
Trauma Informed Parenting- " Parenting in Oz " Part 1
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/21/2021
10:00AM - 1:30PM
“Parenting In OZ!” is an experiential, memorable, trauma-informed, parenting curriculum designed to help parents and staff understand and respond therapeutically to the acting-out behaviors often exhibited by children who have experienced the trauma of neglect, abuse, and loss. Utilizing the vivid imagery from “The Wizard of OZ” and the emergency room, this unique training is an entertaining, multi-sensory approach to working with trauma that both professionals and parents cannot help but remember and integrate into their work. Trauma informed parenting is a paradigm shift for many parents who have often been trained to utilize tools designed to bring external controls to address or remediate problematic behaviors within a particular environment.
Working Effectively with SOGIE and LGBTQ+ System Involved Youth
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/27/2021
10:00AM - 1:00PM
This training is designed for caregivers and professionals to understand the challenges the LGBTQ community face within the foster care system. Trainers will discuss the definitions of SOGIE. Like all young people, LGBTQ youth in foster care need the support of a nurturing family to help them negotiate adolescence and grow into healthy adults. However, LGBTQ youth in foster care face additional challenges. This course addresses common misconceptions about sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE), it teaches participants about the unique risks that LGBTQ youth face and the important role care takers and social workers can play in reducing those risks, and it provides tips for creating a welcoming home for LGTBQ youth. Participants will achieve basic competency with the community, including an understanding of terminology and experiences relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Presentation will be presented through handouts and group discussion.
Trauma Informed Parenting- " Parenting in Oz " Part 2
For Caregivers
DISTANCE LEARNING
8/28/2021
10:00AM - 1:30PM
“Parenting In OZ!” is an experiential, memorable, trauma-informed, parenting curriculum designed to help parents and staff understand and respond therapeutically to the acting-out behaviors often exhibited by children who have experienced the trauma of neglect, abuse, and loss. Utilizing the vivid imagery from “The Wizard of OZ” and the emergency room, this unique training is an entertaining, multi-sensory approach to working with trauma that both professionals and parents cannot help but remember and integrate into their work. Trauma informed parenting is a paradigm shift for many parents who have often been trained to utilize tools designed to bring external controls to address or remediate problematic behaviors within a particular environment.
Understanding the Evolution of the COVID Virus & Vaccinations
For Everyone
DISTANCE LEARNING
9/7/2021
10:00AM - 11:30AM
Dr. Thompson will provide information about the Covid Virus, the Delta Variant and discuss how vaccines combats illness. She will deliver a clear understanding of how COVID-19 vaccines work and how it helps to look at how our bodies fight illness. She will review how the virus that causes COVID-19, invades human bodies, how it attacks and multiplies. This invasion, also called an infection, is what causes illness and how the immune system uses several tools to fight infection. Dr. Thompson will discuss how vaccines help people develop immunity to a virus.