These are Ampersand Families specific trainings that are recommended and/or required.
NTDC – Expanding Your Parenting Paradigm Video
Parenting children who have experienced trauma, grief and loss requires a different type of parenting. Parents must learn to think about the child’s behaviors, discipline, and love in a whole new light. This vides describes why traditional parenting is not always effective for children who have experienced trauma, grief and loss and what it means to expand your parenting paradigm. Parents will learn the importance of developing new parenting tools and strategies that they can utilize to create an environment that is safe, nurturing and stable. Please note that there are three versions of this video. Participants should watch the version that is applicable to their situation. The core information in all of the videos is the same; however, a different lens is applied based on the target population.
Expanding Your Parenting Paradigm
A video for American Indian Alaska Native foster and adoptive parents.
Family Trainings Led by Ampersand Families Staff
Families undergoing home study with Ampersand Families must attend one of two trainings (and have the option to attend both) as well as one training that is required for all families. All trainings should be completed before the end of the family’s home study process, and each will be offered on a rotating basis every other month. Read the descriptions below and consult with your Permanency Specialist to determine which might be most beneficial to your family.
Parenting in Racially and Culturally Diverse Families
Option 1
This training helps participants understand the impact of parenting children from different racial/ethnic/cultural backgrounds and to know how to honor and incorporate child’s race/ethnicity/culture into their existing family system. Strategies are identified to help children develop positive and proud identities and to help children and families prepare for and handle racism in all forms. Openness to a child’s sexual orientation and gender identity and expression and viewing these differences from a strengths-based perspective is also highlighted.
Relative/Kinship Parenting and Building Resilience
Option 2
This training acknowledges the complexities associated with Relative/Kinship caregiving through fostering and adoption. Topics will include: divided loyalties, redefining roles and relationships, setting boundaries with parents and other relatives, the range of emotions caregivers can feel and how children who have experienced trauma, separation, or loss can impact a caregiver’s own well-being. Strategies for how to manage family dynamics and conflicts, identify triggers and effectively manage stress are shared.
Affirming a Youth’s Whole Identity
Required for all families
This training will focus on how to support and affirm a youth who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or another identity in the LGBTQ+ community in an adoptive, pre-adoptive, or relative/kinship home. This training will also include strategies to implement in your home to create a welcoming and inclusive space regardless of the youth’s sexuality. This training will count for Agency Specific Training in both the home study licensing process and for training hours to renew a foster care license.
Preparing for Placement Training
Optional
This is a panel discussion facilitated by Ampersand Families staff. Families who are preparing for a young person to move into their home can listen and ask questions of families who have already been through the process and have volunteered to share their experiences. Families also work with Ampersand Families facilitators to think through parenting scenarios. This training is offered in a video format only. No live trainings are currently scheduled.
