RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Foster care resources.
We equip you with the best available knowledge, skills-based training, and hands-on support to make your foster care experience a success.ย
Ongoing Training Requirements for Foster Parents
If you are a Christian Heritage foster parent, there are 3 things to remember to maintain your foster parent license.
Not a current foster parent, but still want to dig into great resources? Just click here to jump down to the resource section.
1. You need 12 hours of training each year.
- Each foster parent in the home needs a minimum of 12 hours per their licensure year, not calendar year.
- Each training must be directly related to the skills necessary to care for children in out-of-home care.
- If you are adopting, you will need 20 hours of child-specific training.
2. You need to record what you've learned.
- In order to get credit for the training you completed, you must fill out the DHHS Learning Summary form and email it to us for approval.
- Any training you take that provides a certificate of attendance does not require a learning summary.
3. You need to track training hours accurately.
Reading
- 0.5 training hours – 0-50 pages
- 1 training hour – 50-100 pages
- 2 training hours – 101-150 pages
- 3 training hours – 151-200 pages
- 4 training hours – 201-500 pages
Videos & Podcasts
- 0.5 training hours for a 20-30 minute video/podcast
- 1 training hour for a 60-minute video/podcast
- 1.5 training hours for a 90-minute video/podcast
Collegeย
- 11 training hours – 1 credit hour class from a community college
- 15 training hours – 1 credit hour class from a university
How can I get my required training hours?
To get the required 12 hours you need each year, we’ve compiled a list of opportunities and resources. Want to use something that’s not on this list but aren’t sure it qualifies? Ask us.
Even if you aren’t a current foster parent, these are excellent resources to learn about trauma and caring for vulnerable children.
In-person Training Nights
Christian Heritage offers bi-monthly training nights to our families in both Lincoln and Omaha. Throughout the year, we also host various other training opportunities such as TBRI Caregiver Training, CPR training, the Hope for the Journey Conference simulcast, and others.
If you are a foster parent, please check the monthly Connection Newsletter emails for information on all upcoming training opportunities. Contact us if you aren’t receiving the newsletter or want more information.
Websites & Blogs
- FaithBridgeU. If you are a licensed CH foster family, please contact us to get your free access code.
- Creating a Family
- NFAPA Newsletters.ย Read and answer the questions on their form for 30 minutes of credit per newsletter
- Crisis Care Training Internationa
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Empowered to Connect
- Fostering Families Today
- Axis
- The Adoptee Collective
- Jason Johnson Blog
- The FASD Collaborative Project
- Child Welfare Information Gateway
- Beacon House
Books
These links will take you to Amazon. Your local library may also have many of these titles.
- The Connected Parent by Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls
- The Connected Child by David Crossย by Karyn Purvis and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
- The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegal and Tina Payne Bryson
- What Happened to You by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
- Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
- Fosteredย by Tori Hope Peterson
- Fostering the Family by Jamie Finn
- The Adoptee Survival Guide: Adoptees Share Their Wisdom and Tools by Lynn Grubb
Podcasts
Most, if not all, of these podcasts can be found on your favorite podcast platform.
- The Forgotten Podcast
- The Honestly Adoption Podcast with Mike and Kristin Berry
- Empowered to Connect Podcast
- A Fostered Life Podcast with Christy Tennant Krispin
- Adopting Hope Podcast
- The Rambler with Mike McDonalds
- Adoptees On Podcast
Adoption-Specific Training
If you’re adopting, you need 20 hours of child-specific training before the adoption is complete. Here is a suggested list. Once you’ve had a child in care for 15 months or the permanency plan includes adoption, you will receive a more specific list of trainings that you may need to complete.
Download this PDF of recommended Permanency Core Training Resources.
